


The Ink Devil

by Kirbysans (CATIM)



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Bendy is mute, Childhood Trauma, Flowey is a manipulative dick, Gen, Hiding in Plain Sight, Ink what the hell did you do!?, Mind Control, Mischief, More tags to come because I dont know what else to put right now, Nightmares, No I am not shipping Bendy with anyone in Undertale, No Smut, Papyrus Knows More Than He Lets On, Sans remembers bad things, Sign Language, Stalking, Strictly friendship, Theories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2018-10-23 13:58:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10720698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CATIM/pseuds/Kirbysans
Summary: Ink did not think. He should have stayed away from the strange door that appeared in his realm. Turn around when his wandering eyes fell upon the open chest of a restrained wolf monster. When his conscience was screaming at him not to pull the lever, he should have listened.But it’s called the Ink Machine, how the hell could he not be curious about it?(Or: Ink made a mistake, now an ink devil is in the original world of Undertale and he may never want to leave.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To those who are not familiar with the new game/fandom, 'Bendy and the Ink Machine' here is a little summary.
> 
> Bendy is a black and white cartoon devil inspired by Mickey Mouse/Steamboat Willy, created by a company called Joey Drews studios or Sillyvision. The protagonist of BATIM was one of Bendy's cartoonist who goes back to visit the studio and discovers some really shady shit, including Bendy brought to life by a machine called The Ink Machine. The game is not finished so most of Bendy's backstory in this fanfiction are theories. I highly recommend checking out the game. 
> 
> Also, I know Bendy is seen as the antagonist in the actually game (again, game not finished so there could be a plot twist) but he is going to be seen as the protagonist in this fanfiction. He's not going to be seen as innocent...just misunderstood, as someone who has been trapped in a studio for decades finally free to explore a bigger world.

Ink didn’t think the trinkets -the book, the gear, the ink bottle, etc.-  he placed on the pedestals would actually bring the dusty rust machine back to life.

 

He didn’t think something terrible might have happened to this unusual place of black and gold. Unknowingly that underneath his feet, on a whole different level lied a secret so sinister it made all Error’s wrongdoing seem amateur in comparison.

 

Ink most certainly didn’t think an odd devil monster, covered in ink from the flowing pipe that continued to flood the room would tackle him to the floor. With a smile lined with sharp teeth mere inches away from his face, the devil had mouthed the word ‘ _Creator_ ’ before darkness engulfed him.

 

Ink did not think. He should have stayed away from the strange door that appeared in his realm. Turn around, when his wandering eyes fell upon the open chest of a restrained wolf monster. When his conscience screamed at him not to pull the lever, he should have listened.

 

But it’s called the Ink Machine, how the hell could he not be curious about it?

 

It was hours later before Ink woke up. As soon as he did, he coughed and hacked up the dark liquid that had filled his lungs. Then took a short moment to stare dazedly at the ceiling while he collected his thoughts. 

When he felt ready to move, he carefully pushed himself from the floor, but the weight of ink soaking his clothes made any movement a struggle. It took a few tries before he managed to stand on both feet, and started wringing out the ink from his scarf while his eyes scanned the dim room.

 

He was still in the Ink Machine room; a small room that consists of an old machine with a single purpose. The doorway was boarded up when he first came across it. He now knows why.

The machine was off, and a slow drip from the open pipe puddles the floor black. Above and on the wall, Ink can see a smeared message written in the same black liquid, left by the little devil that attacked him.

YOU’RE NOT THE CREATOR

  
Ink made a face, confused by what this meant. All his life from what he can remember, he was known as 'The Creator' by everyone. The one who encouraged the making of new AUs and the protector of those that exist. It’s strange to him when someone didn't see him that way. Perhaps, this is a misunderstanding?

 

Under the message, he spotted a trail of black footsteps which he cautiously followed out of the room and through a long corridor, one with many old posters hanging on the walls. ‘Bendy in The Dancing Demon’ they read with a picture of the little ink devil himself, wearing a skirt and carrying a cane.

“So, Bendy is his name.” Ink made a mental note of that. Knowing the name will come in handy.

 

The trail led him into another room that was fairly familiar to him and poorly lit. It was the place where he accidentally left the portal into his domain, the Doodle Sphere, wide open and free for anyone to enter. Fear fell upon Ink when he stepped through and discovered that the devil did in fact, enter his world.

 

A beautiful world composed of floating islands, detailed design doors into other AUs and bright blue skies, now tainted with blotchy tracts of black ink scattered across the grass. The sky didn’t have its usual hue either. It looked duller, just a little, but enough to catch his artistic eye. Like his world knew something bad had entered his domain.

 

One of the doors was smashed in and unhinged. A cartoon size hand imprints the wood, destroying Ink’s hours of hard work into designing the portal. But that’s not his concern right now. He’s more fearful of what universe this mischievous ink devil went in to. The Protector of AUs gawked at the name on the plaque that hangs over the broken door.

 

UNDERTALE

 

Of all worlds, it had to be the original, the core of the AUs. Ink knew like every good deity that the original world should not be tampered with. If anything destroys it, all other worlds will crumble. Even Error doesn’t mess with Undertale that much, and he really hates the Frisk in that world.

 

Now a new type of monster, created from ink, a machine, and his stupid curiosity, is in Undertale. Running free to do as he pleased.

And it’s all Ink’s fault.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit, Bendy is pretty fun to write about. 
> 
> Seriously guys, thank you so much for the kudos. I was afraid of this getting hate x_x it makes me happy to see people liking it. I know I'm not the best writer but I'll do my best. 
> 
> No promises but I will likely update on: Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays

Somewhere deep in Snowdin woods, past the stone door to the ruins. A smiling ink devil dances with glee. Like when Jack Skellington discovered Christmas, he twirled and weaved around the trees with childlike wonder, catching snowflakes in his open palms. His cartoon eyes were big and bright, awestruck by the beautiful shades of blues and greens he has never seen before. 

 

It’s been forever since he's seen snow. The staff only made one Christmas special, and that aired many years ago.

 

The devil stopped his dancing to shove both hands into a pile of snow, feeling the soft texture on his ink skin. Repeatedly he shoveled the slush into the air, letting it shower over his head until the cold temperature made him shiver. This snow was different. It felt real and not drawn on paper and animated through a projector. The ink devil didn’t know how to describe it, but it’s like he’s been numb all his life and was finally feeling everything for the first time.

 

Excitedly he threw his back to the ground. Moving his arms and legs to make a snow angel, like the one Alice Angel showed him in the Christmas special. If this were one of those shorts where she showed her snooty personality, she’d shout at him right now for acting childish. And he’d probably trick her into looking the other way so he could run. Were they ever a thing? The creator never did announce their relationship to the watchers, keeping it a mystery. It’s been thirty years, and even he didn’t know the answer.

 

The snow angel didn’t turn out as he wanted. The ink that still drips from his body had turned it dark, and his horns made his angel look like an imp in a dress. Too happy to care, he shrugged off the failure and went back to strolling in the woods. Every few minutes he’d skip to the opening tune playing in his head, imagining this world as another episode of his wonderful adventures.

 

Maybe it could be a new series called…

 

‘ _Bendy in The Amazing Spectacular Wonderful World.’_

The poster will show him walking in this very forest, his trusty cane in hand. And he’d be winking at the viewers, a hint to them of the mischief adventures he'll be having. What's written underneath the picture will be the catcher. In big bold letters, it will say _‘Bendy, now in color!’_  

Then, in the evening when his viewers are home from work and school and settled down on the couch for another one of his tales, his new colorful animation will drop their jaws. Bringing tears to their eyes, they’ll laugh and cry at his stories, cheer him on in conflict, and at the end of the show, they’ll chant his name, wanting more from the little devil.

Bendy! Bendy! Bendy!

 

The ink devil silently snickered at his imagination. Ok, so none of that will ever happen. Joey Drew Studios, or Sillyvision when using the proper title, went out of business a long time ago. Chances of him ever getting back on the screen are slim to none, which was fine. His creator Joey wasn’t willing to change the art, much to the disproval of his staff and Bendy himself.

 

Joey was always a stubborn human. Kind to his cartoonists but never did he listen to their suggestions. He also treated Bendy like he was property. Well, he was per se, but it’s like he couldn’t let him go. When it became clear that the studio was losing business, his creator was given the option of handing him over to another studio. A very popular one too, that would have continued Bendy’s fame.

 

And yet Joey declined.

The same studio had offered to hire him, many of their employees inspired by his work wanting to help him. Wanting to bring Bendy back. He declined that too.

 

Every bit of help offered to him, declined. He lost his business, his employees, everything, and the studio was left abandon. Then one day out of the blue, Joey came back with the blueprints to the Ink Machine, and he did something Bendy could never forgive him for.

****

The ink devil came to a slow stop on a walking path in the woods, across from him was a sentry station. He looked up, not at the sky but a cavern ceiling that sparkled like a blanket of stars. He assumed it was getting late and curled himself up in the little structure that smelled oddly like ketchup.

 

While resting in his shelter, he reminisced about home…

He thought of Alice Angel and her sass…

The cartoonists and where they are right now…

Joey and the things he had done…

Boris…….

**_Boris_ **

The image of his wolf friend, cut open and lifeless on a machine flashed through his head. He didn't feel like smiling anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

It worried Papyrus when his brother was quiet. Most mornings, Sans would get up a few hours after him and come shuffling into the kitchen to prep the coffee pot. They would exchange words at the table with a plate of food in front of them, talking about their plans for the day and what plans they would like to do in the future, although those don’t always follow through. Then, after breakfast they are out the door at the same time, ready to start the day. Papyrus would walk Sans to his sentry station, tolerate whatever joke he had to say, then go patrolling off on his natural routine.

 

This wasn’t one of those mornings. Sans stared blankly at his breakfast, coffee cup barely touched. He hadn’t said a word since he woke up. Auto-pilot pulled him through preparation, but once he sat down, he did nothing. Papyrus tried saying a few things to grab his attention. Things he would normally respond to and can easily make jokes from, but he goes unheard. Whatever deep thought Sans was lost in held him from doing anything and Papyrus hated that. He hated it when Sans gets like this. It happened more often than ought. It worried him more knowing his brother is the secretive type and won’t tell him anything if he asked what’s wrong.

 

The last time he acted like this Sans assured he was fine. He even had the gall to look Papyrus in the eye with that pseudo smile and tell him there was nothing to worry about. Then he goes off drinking at Grillby’s, until he's a wasted sobbing mess for Papyrus to carry home.

 

Well...enough was enough. Papyrus was tired of feeling worried all the time, and he definitely didn't want another call from the bar.

 

Sternly, he said his brother’s name. When that didn’t work, he slammed his hand on the table and shouted. “SANS!”

 

Sans flinched, and Papyrus went from looking resentful to sympathetic the moment their gaze met. His voice softened. “YOU ARE DOING IT AGAIN,”

 

Sans blinked and looked down at his untouched leftover spaghetti, looking embarrassed. “Oh, sorry bro. I uh…didn’t sleep so well.” He said while rubbing his skull as if he was rubbing away a headache.

 

“ANYTHING YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT?” Papyrus already knew the answer before Sans shook his head. “nah, just had a rough night is all. It happens, even to me.” Sans chuckled, but that didn’t make him feel any better.

 

Papyrus turned away to hide his grimace. “YOU WOULD TELL ME IF ANYTHING WAS WRONG, RIGHT BROTHER?” He asked while washing out the sauce pan in the sink because doing nothing felt awkward.

 

There was a long moment of just scrubbing sounds and Sans’s fork scraping against his plate. Papyrus felt anxious waiting for a response, and he wondered if Sans knew that he knew he was lying. _Maybe he will talk to me this time._ It would be a pleasant change from the lies, and Sans should know he'll support him in whatever it was that’s been bothering him. All he wanted is his brother to be happy again.

 

“Of course, Pap.” Sans said instead and nothing after, crushing Papyrus's hope for improvement. 

 

“OH, OK.” The only response he could think to say to another lie. For the rest of the morning, he continued to clean up, pretending like nothing was wrong.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Papyrus had to slow his stride to keep from moving too far ahead. Sans was walking sluggish today. The tall and optimistic skeleton still waved and smiled at the passing monster that said good morning. He noticed how their cheer would drop when they look at Sans. How they would whisper to the monster next to them, probably some petty gossip about Sans's last occurrence at the bar. The town was small enough to know everyone and everything that happened. It wouldn't be a surprise if these were the monsters that saw him carrying his brother home the last time. Papyrus ignored them and he had all but lost his demeanor until they made it to the forest.

 

When the sentry station came into view, Sans picked up the pace. As he did, Papyrus slowed to a stop and took hold of his shoulder, halting him from going any farther.

 

“Papyrus? What’s wrong?”

 

Papyrus took a deep breath. Then his words came bursting out. “SANS I AM VERY WORRIED ABOUT YOU. YOU'RE NOT HAPPY, YOU'RE NOT SLEEPING, YOU GET LOST IN THESE THOUGHTS OF YOURS AND...YOU DO NOT SEEM LIKE YOURSELF ANYMORE, BROTHER.” For a split-second, Sans looked like he wanted to say something. His pinpricks darted left and right before dropping down to avoid eye contact. “I’m fine.” He said, almost quiet enough to be a whisper.

 

“NO, YOU ARE NOT.” 

 

"I'm fine," Sans jerked his shoulder away. He turns and headed for the station with Papyrus shouting after him. 

 

“CAN YOU PLEASE TALK TO ME?” 

 

“I’m fine.”

 

“BUT SANS-“

 

“I’m fine! I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine, how many times do I-” Sans bit off his words and dropped his jaw, gaping at something inside the sentry station. "Woah." Looking back at Papyrus with wide eyes, he made a waving gesture for him to come over. “Hey bro, check this out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 5/8/17 
> 
> I am almost done but the update may push back to tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

The two skeletons cautiously stood outside the station, furrowing their brows while they look through the back. Inside and covering every wall, table and cubby were varied sizes of ink drawings. Some still fresh and running down the cracks of the wood, distorting the images to look eerily stretched and creepy.

 

“What do you think it is?”  The smaller, bearing a bright blue coat, asked.

 

“IT LOOKS LIKE PAINT.” The taller in the red scarf hesitated to reach in. He pulled back his glove hand a second away from touching the interior wall. After he did, the smaller squinted and places a foot inside for a closer look at the left flank. He dragged a finger over the painted image of a devil, a wolf and an angel standing side by side.

 

“Yeah, it does. Probably graffiti done by Snowdrake and his friends.”

 

The ink devil furrowed his brow and adjusted his position behind the tree, looking for a better view of them scratching their heads at his work. 

 

He doesn’t remember if it was the reminiscing or the freedom he now has that led to the sudden desire to draw. Or maybe it’s because he honestly misses the Sillyvision crew to some extent. Whatever the reason may be, he felt like pretending he was an artist for a change.

 

But he didn’t have paper, so the walls of his shelter had to do. He didn’t own tools either, so he used the ink still dripping from his fingers as his pencil. One drawing led to another, and by dawn, the entire shelter was full of them.

 

Because his specialties lied in music and dance, not art, the pictures turned out ok but not Picasso level of good. They still had features that distinguished him and his friends, looking much like cave paintings that told prophecies. 

 

“IF THAT IS THE CASE THEN I SHALL INFORM THE OTHER GUARDS TO LOOK OUT FOR THEM.” The taller skeleton said. It’s thanks to him, Bendy had a chance to scramble and dash out the station without notice. That volume of his is startlingly loud. He heard him miles before they approached. 

 

“Nah, no need. I’m sure it’s just a harmless prank, I’ll just work at the other stations today.”

 

“WE SHOULD AT LEAST CLEAN THIS UP FIRST. I AM SURE THE TOWN’S GENERAL STORE HAS PRODUCTS WE CAN USE.” The taller looked closer at the ink, probably analyzing what they'll need to clean it. 

 

 “You get right on that, bro,” The smaller said. He quietly backed away while the other was distracted. “When you start cleaning, be sure to leave one of the cat drawings, I think they're adorable.”

 

He chuckled, and it took the ink devil a moment to realize who he was referring too. The skeleton was pointing to one of his self-portraits.

 

Who is this guy calling a cat!? Does he not see the curve of his horns, those are not ear and he is clearly not a cat! He crossed his arms and huffed. As much as it is silly to get upset over a minor insult he had an itch to curve a snowball at the skeleton’s head and call him an idiot.

 

He didn’t, though. The skeleton blinked out of the picture before he had the chance. He literally blinked, and within that half a second the monster was gone. As if he was suddenly scrapped by his creators. Never to be seen or spoke of again. Cut and gone.

 

Alas, that’s not the case, he and the other skeleton wouldn’t be aware of his existence if he was truly gone. When the taller looked back where the smaller was standing, he scowled. He stomped his foot in the snow, and unleashed another ear-piercing shout. “SANS!”

 

A few grumbled words escaped his breath before he turned and started back up the path they came from. Bendy followed him, using the line of trees and shrubs as places to hide. The skeleton had mentioned a town, and he wanted to see it. He imagined there are more like them living in a mixed community with other types of characters. Maybe animal residents, with fur and big ears and claws on their fingers, much like Boris and the other neighbors from his cartoon. They all had a quirky characteristic that made them special. If there was one thing his creator was good at, it was making his creations lively.

 

He wondered if the folks in this town were nice like the ones from his world, the more he thinks and compares his black and white world to this one. This world already felt like his old one with all the walking talking skeletons he’s seen so far. Old cartoons really loved skeletons for whatever reason. He met a ton in his younger years, although none of them had ever dressed or acted like these weirdos.

 

Bendy quietly followed the skeleton’s shadow, imagining what the town would look like when he heard a voice near his ear. Several voices and they were all whispering strange things he couldn’t understand. It snapped his attention to the trees, and he suspected to see someone hiding in the silhouettes, but...there was no one. 

 

Then out of nowhere, as if he was suddenly struck by a blunt object from the back, a sharp pain shoots through his skull. Bendy fell on his knees. His hands shot up to grip the sides of his throbbing head. The pain hammered with each pulse, and it felt like it was pushing him further to the ground. He tried to stand again only to find that he couldn’t move let alone feel his legs anymore. 

What the hell was happening?

 

The ink devil squeezed his eyes shut and tried to stay calm, ignoring the whispers that continued to torment him, wanting them to stop and leave him alone. Something trickled down his face and his eyes flashed open again just before a flow of ink poured over him and blacked out his vision of the world. In the darkness, he heard himself fall in the snow, and while hanging onto the very edge of consciousness, he felt himself lifting from the ground again, but he was no longer in control of his body.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of want to get an opinion before I start on the next chapter. Do you think I should make Bendy mute or should I give him a voice? I noticed a lot of BATIM writers choose to give him a voice but I was kinda thinking of making him mute. 
> 
>  
> 
> Since it isn't confirmed yet that Bendy had a proper voice actor, I was thinking maybe he never had one. Characters from his world, like Boris and Alice, can understand him and his motions because they were created to understand him. (like how Nibbles, the white mouse from the Tom and Jerry cartoon, understands Jerry even though he rarely speaks) But Bendy is in a completely different world with completely different characters, so Undertale may not understand him, leaving him mute. At least thats the idea I had in mind. If that makes sense, really tired right now, I might just be talking nonsense. 
> 
> So mute Bendy seems like a cool idea to me, but let me know what you think.


	5. Chapter 5

The ink devil woke up dazed with his face partly buried in soft snow. Slowly he lifted his head and blinked his lidded eyes for clarity. Everything was blurry and disorienting. Rolling onto his back, he laid on the grass and snow, waiting for his vision to clear some and his head to stop throbbing.

 

_Where happen?_

He reflected on what he can remember, like spying on the strange skeletons when they investigated his shelter. How insulted he felt when the smaller one made a comment, and how upset the taller one had looked when he disappeared behind his back. He remembered following the taller one shortly after, and how he imagined the town he was going to see. Then the voices came…

 

Something took control of him after he heard those voices.

He felt it happen a second before he lost consciousness after his vision went dark as if those whispers had bewitched him. 

 

It’s a vague memory, and he struggled to remember the specifics, but he’s sure there was no way he could have imagined it.

 

How else did he wind up here, sprawled out in the middle a wide forest path, surrounded by a flourish of pine trees? An artificial light he can only assume is this world’s sun shined on him. Which also begs the question.

_How long has he been out?_

Bendy shuddered.

Fear is not an emotion he's used to feeling alone. He always had his friends, and he always had the cartoonists looking out for him with a happy conclusion at the end of each adventure. Right now, he had no one.

 

 He stared up at the cavern ceiling, trying not to think about everything that just happened, putting his focus on the sounds around him.

 

He could hear branches snapping, birds singing, the howling winds blowing against the trees, and something else…someone approaching. Their footfall in the snow circled him. “ARE YOU OK?” The tall skeleton in the scarf came into view, leaning over him with an aiding hand out for him to take. The ink devil slapped it away.

 

 He scrambled to stand and had all but ran from the skeleton that towered over him. Good lord, he knew he was tall but this tall?! Now that he was in front of the skeleton he had a whole different perspective from earlier.

 

The ink devil tilted his head up to see his skull. He had to be at least 6 feet tall. Much taller than Boris, who was the tallest character he’d known. This skeleton was like a majestic giant compared to his smaller frame.

 

 “WAIT,” The skeleton cried when Bendy backed away, scared out of his mind. His voice was much louder and higher-pitched than before considering how close he was. It didn’t help the panic that bubbled inside him. “I SAW YOU COLLAPSE.”

 

The ink devil heard but ignored, too busy frantically overlooking the new area, searching for the unknown. The recent incidents had put him on edge. He’s afraid that whatever got a hold of him, was going to come back and do it again. His focus wasn’t back on the skeleton until a loud gasp caused him to flinch.

 

“YOU,” The skeleton had a hand up to his mouth in surprise. His hollow eye sockets doubled in size. “YOU ARE ONE OF THE DRAWINGS,” He said then strides forward. His taller frame blocked the artificial light, casting long shadows across the snow, and engulfed the ink devil before him. Every step he took, the ink devil took a step back. “YOU VANDALIZED MY BROTHER’S STATION” Even though the skeleton didn’t sound threatening nor did he look it, the ink devil knew he was in a bad situation.

 

_‘Hey pal, I’m still new around here! How was I supposed to know?’_

Is what he would say to defend himself if he had a voice.

 

Curse his creator and his stubborn decisions. Why Joey Drew never gave him a voice actor is beyond him, one of those mysteries left in the dust of the studio.

 

How he communicates is different from everyone else. His expressions, mouth and hand motions all speak for him, and folks seem to understand everything he tries to say. He’s a voiceless main that tells his adventures through actions. It was how his cartoon worked, and no one ever questioned how or why.

 

The ink devil pointed to the path he’s certain leads to the sentry station, then with two fingers, draws a house shape in the air between them. He then imitated sleeping to signify that he was tired, wanted a place to rest and the station was the only thing around to shelter him.  

 

These were simple actions that anyone from his world would understand, but he already forgot, this wasn’t his world. This skeleton wasn’t _created_ to understand him, explaining why he looked so confused.

 

“WHAT? DO NOT ATTEMPT TO AVOID THE SUBJECT. TELL ME WHY YOU VANDALIZED MY BROTHER’S PROPERTY?” The skeleton straightened his spine. He crossed his arms and scowled down at him, demanding an answer.

 

The ink devil frown right back, disapproving how fast the skeleton was at pointing fingers without hearing him out. It turned into a stare-off between them. Neither blinking nor turning away as if they suspect the other to attack or run the moment they do.

 

After an awkward minute, he figured this wasn’t going to go anywhere and sits down, legs crossed on the ground. He wrote out his message in the snow, ink trailing out of his glove fingers.

 

**‘I DIDN’T KNOW. I USED IT AS A SHELTER’**

The skeleton moved so he’s almost standing beside his smaller frame and reads out the message closely. “OH, ARE YOU LOST?” His tight-knit brow unraveled, having concern for him as if he wasn't angry just a moment ago.

 

The ink devil nodded. He wiped the message away with snow and wrote another.

 

**‘LOST WAY TO HOME’**

 

“YOU MUST BE A LOCAL; I CAN LEAD YOU BACK TO SNOWDIN,” A brief smile flashed on the skeleton face, happy to be of help to someone in need before he looked over the ink devil again, and a second thought occurred to him. “STRANGE, I DON’T THINK I’VE SEEN YOU AROUND BEFORE. WHAT IS YOUR NAME?”

 

**‘BENDY’**

 

 **‘I’M NEW’** He added, to play along and cover his suspicion. **‘JUST MOVED IN’**

“I SEE, AND YOU GOT LOST IN THE WOODS AND BEEN USING THE STATION AS SHELTER,” The ink devil nodded along to everything the skeleton was saying, whatever it took to get him off his back. “WELL, I SUPPOSE NO ONE WAS HARMED, AND MY BROTHER WASN’T ANGRY ABOUT IT. THAT PAINT IS GOING TO BE A LOT OF WORK TO GET OFF, HOWEVER.”

 

**‘I’M SORRY’**

“THAT’S ALRIGHT BENDY. NOW ALLOW ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, LEAD YOU BACK HOME.” The skeleton, Papyrus, took a few long strides ahead.  “IT’S THIS WAY.” He pointed to the continuous path that leads them farther away from the portal. The ink devil stood and brushed the snow from his legs before running to catch up.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something gold sitting in the shadows, but when he looked, there was nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something gold huh? Probably nothing to worry about, Bendy
> 
> **Update 5/24/17**  
> The way my work schedule is looking, the next update will fall on Tuesday.
> 
> **Update 5/30/17**  
> Sorry this chapter is going to be late, I only have one or two paragraphs left but a couple things I need to do today. If this is not finished tonight it will be posted tomorrow night.


	6. Chapter 6

The stone door to the ruins felt rough on Ink’s hand, but despite the minor scratches cutting across his knuckles he kept knocking and calling for the old woman who’s supposed to live there.

 

But no one answered. No sound other than the cold drafts whistling through the thin cracks of a once airtight door.

 

While resting on the stone steps, he soberly wondered if UNDERTALE was in the middle of another genocide run. Then reassessed after hearing some songbirds chirp happily in the trees, and thought the forest looked a bit too lively for genocide.

 

He stuck his hands in the pockets of a worn blue and yellow fur-lined hoodie that he had to borrow from Outer!Sans whilst his clothes were getting washed, which may take time. He learned after a 2-hour effort of scrubbing vigorously at his bones that ink is not easy to get off. And the ink still fixed in his bones after that needless effort made his complexion a shade darker.

 

Digging through his pockets, Ink pulls out an old piece of paper that he took from Bendy’s world. Something to use as a reference. It's a rough pencil drawing of the ink devil in his original appearance. Drawn by someone with the initials J.D. inscribed on the far right corner of the paper. 

 

In the picture, Bendy has a cheerful, cunning expression with a toothy smile awfully similar to Sans’s. His black horns curve at the top of his round head, pointing in like a moon crest. On his hands, he wears puffy white gloves with three buttons on each one, fitting with the white bowtie on his imaginary neck. It almost looks like the bowtie is what connects his head and body together. He looks innocent enough to trust on the first introduction, but then come to find out later when you’re dying on the floor, he’s deceitful.

 

Ink recalls back to his first encounter when he was suffocating under the flood of liquid, and felt ill thinking an innocent monster might meet the ink devil in that same manner. With the same sharp teeth and clouded face, he doubts Bendy would show mercy again. It’d be Ink’s fault and his fault only if hr dusts anyone in UNDERTALE.

 

Ink pushed himself up after shoving the picture back into his pocket and started towards the next location, Snowdin. He had to find Bendy before someone gets hurt.

 

* * *

 

 He already knew the town’s name before they came across the big colorful sign decorated with Christmas lights, because Papyrus, being the great helper that he proclaims, wouldn’t stop talking about the place.

“YOU’LL LOVE LIVING IN SNOWDIN,” He’d said…or scream. It’s hard to figure out what his normal speaking volume was.

“EVERYONE IS SO NICE.”

“YOU’LL FIT RIGHT IN,”

“AND YOU CAN COME VISIT MY BROTHER AND ME ANYTIME.

The ink devil almost felt bad for lying.

 

At least Papyrus was considerate enough to only ask him yes or no question along the way. The trip would have taken much longer if they had to stop every few seconds to write out an answer.

 

He had answered yes to every question asked, and somehow managed to create a strange backstory that Papyrus seemed to buy. As far as Papyrus knows, he came from a place called New Home where he left family to live in a cooler, quieter environment. He got lost in the forest for being careless but wanted to explore its depth after coming from a concrete jungle.

 

The ink devil knew nothing of this New Home place or had evidence of a family living there but at the moment he thought a few lies wouldn’t matter much. 

 

By the time they had reached the end of the cross bridge, Bendy had completely tuned out the babbling skeleton. Instead, he listened to the music of Snowdin. Children in scarfs were shouting and running after each other in the open, carrying snowballs in their hands. Among them a lizard kid face-planted in the snow, earning some laughs and a few jokey remarks. They pasted a bunny woman dressed in Sunday clothes, smiling contently on a powdered blue device in her hand. In her other hand, she held a blue leash with a smaller bunny attached. (Logic even he won’t bother to question.) By the inn which connected to the town's shop, two other bunnies were gossiping about someone name Medatron? Mattitan? The ink devil couldn’t quite hear the name accurately under their small voices, but whoever this person was, had them eagerly talking.

 

“HERE WE ARE,” Papyrus stopped and looked down at him. “DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR HOME IS?”

 

The ink devil quickly nodded and shook the skeleton with both gloves clasped around his hand, as his way of saying thank you. He took off running in a random direction, waving goodbye to Papyrus. The skeleton, pleased with his good deed, waved back, then disappeared into the shop.

 

The town turned out so much like how he imagined. Small but not too small. Lively but not crowded. There were animal characters dressed in winter apparels everywhere. If the town was black and white, it would almost look like home.

 

He began exploring, starting with the building that read _Grillby’s_ in neon letters. It turned out it’s a bar. There were half-eaten burgers and empty beer glasses on every table where a patron sat. The room smelled like grease, cigarettes and burnt biscuits that didn’t sit too well with his senses. He left shortly after entering, making the fire man behind the bar raise an eyebrow.

 

He went over to the building next door and was immediately greeted by a lizard explaining the misspelled sign out front.

Oh, a library.

 

Like the bar, he didn’t stick around for very long. There wasn’t much to see, just a small collection of books and a couple of silent characters reading around a table. Again, he left without so much as touching a thing.

 

Ok, so the town is not as exciting as he thought, but it still beat being trapped in the studio. However, he didn’t bother checking the other buildings, already having the idea of what will be inside them because of how vague the signs were. He ended up spending his time wandering aimlessly in the residential area. There, he watched a wolf chuck ice in a river, overheard a couple of slime kids play a game called “Monsters and Humans” and passed by several bunnies, a bear couple, a horse, a strange one-eyed character, and a little mouse in a scarf. Most didn’t acknowledge him, but the ones that did gave him strange looks before turning away.

 

By the time he made it back to the town center, most of the townies had either retreated home or were heading to Grillby’s. It was late and the frosty night air was beginning to bite. The ink devil curled up and hugged himself to keep warm, but it didn’t do much to help. He needed another shelter.

 

Luckily, he didn’t have to search far. He found a small shed belonging to a house with Christmas lights decorated along its balcony and edges of the roof. There were lights on in every window allowing him to see the silhouettes of characters moving inside. He waited for the window closest to him to go out before picking up a decent size stone to smash against the bolt on the shed. It’s only for one night. No one would mine, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, still not a 100% happy with this one but I'm too tired to mess with it right now. 
> 
> Which brings me to ask: is there anyone that would like to be a beta reader for me?
> 
> I am unfortunately the only one in my circle that is an Undertale and BATIM fan so I don't have anyone to look over my work. It would greatly reduce the stress if I had a second pair of eyes. 
> 
> **UPDATE**  
> 6/4/17: something came up so the next chapter will more than likely be on Tuesday, if not, then next week.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Turn out to be longer than expected but came out great.

The gang was already inside Grillby’s, laughing and knocking beer glasses. The dog pack had the square table set for an all-night of poker. As Dogaressa shuffles the deck, Lesser Dog barks a conversation with Dogamy and Greater Dog while Doggo, with his back turned, tries to light a milk bone cigarette.

  
   
Drunk Bun was already in her booth, head down and complaining. She shouts something to Grillby, who was currently behind the bar serving a pint of liquor to the town’s punk hamster. Whatever she said made his head flicker in irritation. He grumbles something in return, then looks out the window at Sans. He smiles warmly. 

  
   
Sans watched as Grillby walked into the back where the kitchen was. The bar owner came back a moment later with a ketchup bottle in his hand. He placed it on the counter, in front of Sans’s traditional spot. That was when everyone noticed him outside and began waving, awaiting him to come in. The whole lot looked brighter through the orange tinted window. 

 

 _‘What the hell am I doing?’_  

  
   
Sans backed away from the window and began to pace outside like an animal.

  
   
He’s here because of the nightmares, the ones about the past resets and old memories. He would do anything to forget again. Absolutely ANYTHING, like drink until his mind was blank and he’s a wasted mess on the bar counter. But since this morning, he hadn’t been able to get Papyrus’s words out of his head.   
 

  
'YOU’RE NOT HAPPY.’ Papyrus had said.  
'YOU’RE NOT SLEEPING.’   
‘YOU GET LOST IN THESE THOUGHTS...’ 

  
   
This was one of those blue moon moments in which Sans wished a small reset would happen so that he could go back to this morning and do better at hiding his depression behind a fake smile and a few jokes. His brother knows something is wrong now, and there’s only so much he can say and do before his lies begin to strain their relationship… 

On the one hand, going to Grillby’s will make things worse between him and Papyrus, but he also knows from experience that these nightmares of the past will continue to haunt him if he doesn’t. Though the effect is temporary, drinking does help. It’s both a remedy and a poison that first brings out the worst of him, then leaves him blissfully unaware of anything and everything afterward.

 

Usually Sans would just walk into the bar, believing it’s worth it. But since this morning, he’s been reconsidering and reevaluating his relationship with Papyrus, leaving him with this dilemma.

 

Should he go home now, or go to Grillby’s; knowing the consequences of both choices?

 

Grillby’s or go home, Grillby’s or go home, Grillby’s or go home…

 

Someone grabbed his arm, and he spun, magic bone ready in hand. He was about to strike when he noticed the fluffy fur on his assailant’s hoodie and their unmistakable face that matches his own.

 

“Outer?” No… Outer’s eyes don’t change colors. “Shorty?!”

 

“Don’t -*huff*- call me that.” Ink looked out of breath and a bit shaken, like he’d been running from something that gave chase. “Is there -*huff*- somewhere private we can talk? -*puff*-”

 

“The lab behind my house…” Sans said, staring perplexed at the smaller monster. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I’ll explain inside.”

The lab behind the house is a secret Sans kept for decades. He had the key either on himself or locked away in his room always. There were things in the lab that he couldn’t possibly even THINK to explain to Papyrus. Like the machine, he long ago stopped attempting to fix, or the file he kept of notes written in a dead language. He also had pictures from his childhood with unclear messages scribbled on the back; and of course, he had his badge and lab coat tucked away somewhere from when he was a scientist. He never told Papyrus why he quit the Royal Lab. He couldn’t.

 

Upon arrival, Sans entered first, Ink not far behind. As he flicked on the lights, Ink took a quick look outside before closing the door behind them.

 

“Woah, what happen to you?” Now that they were under a light, Sans could see that Ink looked different. His bones were stained gray, and little scratches crisscrossed up and down his arms and legs. Instead of his scarf and his usual earth color attire, he wore a white t-shirt under a hoodie that belongs to the outer space version of themselves and similar black shorts with gold stripes. Over the shirt and jacket, he still has his work belt with the different paint vials crossing his chest and that large paintbrush strapped to his back.

 

“It’s a long story; that I will go into, but first, I must ask; What run is this?”

 

“Post-neutral. Toriel is queen, currently running the underground.”

 

“Post?” Ink echoed, looking confused and a bit surprised. “You mean Frisk hasn’t come back?”

 

“Nope,” Sans was calm, but his sharp response showed some of his frustration. They are still trapped underground, after all. Still waiting for that shining moment when Frisk returns with a solution. They’ve been waiting a long time and will possibly be waiting forever. At least it seems that way at the moment. “That doesn’t stop the weed from resetting though.”

 

“I see, that explains why Toriel wasn’t in the ruins then.”

 

“So, what brings ‘The Creator’ here?” Sans asked, quickly changing the subject.

 

“I’m, umm… looking for someone.” Ink tensely looked around the room, as though making absolutely sure they were alone before pulling the picture out of his pocket. He unfolds it twice and hands it over to Sans. “His name is Bendy. He’s not from this universe, or any you know of. To be honest, I’m not even sure his universe is tied to the others...” 

  
  
Sans recognized the drawing so quickly; that it actually caught him by surprise. This is the cat! The monster? The whatever the heck it is supposed to be, that someone had drawn all over his sentry station! He couldn’t help but chuckle at the coincidence. “He’s at one of my posts.”

  
  
Ink’s eyes widened. “What?! Which one?!” The artist exclaimed at such a high volume that it was almost a shout. He just about forgot that this was supposed to be a hush-hush conversation. The lab walls were thick, but not thick enough to silence them completely. Anyone outside could have heard that.

  
  
Sans stepped back and held his hands up in mock defense. The artist had moved so fast that he closed in the space between them in the fracture of a second, and was standing close enough that Sans could see his colorful eyes waver. “I didn’t mean literally,” Sans replied. “Someone drew a bunch of pictures of him on the walls of my station this morning. The one in the forest.” 

  
  
Ink looked at him as though he was speaking another language. But then, it seemed as though a light bulb had clicked in his head. “The pictures…they were made of ink, weren’t they?” He asked.

  
“It was either ink or paint,” Sans replied.

  
"Then that means-" Ink began, but abruptly stopped mid-sentence. He looked anything but calm. He snatched the picture from Sans's feeble hands. He grabbed a pen from his shorts pocket and began to write something down on the back of the page, leant more towards himself so that Sans couldn’t get a glimpse. 

 

This is the first time Sans has seen Ink look THIS frantic about someone that isn't his glitchy rival. It's a bit nerve-wracking to watch him pace. It’s also unsettling to think there is someone else out there that might be just as bad as Error. Is this Bendy, who he only just found out is real and not just graffiti, really this big of a threat? To cause a good deity like Ink to pace and worry like this… It can’t be good. 

  
   
Sans furrowed his brow. "Ink, is Bendy dangerous?"   
   
The artist paused and looked sheepishly at the comedic skeleton. Instead of answering the question, he takes a seat in the only chair in the room and began explaining. "It’s my fault he’s here. His world appeared in the Doodle Sphere yesterday. I should have just left it alone, but you know me, I must check up on every universe equally… *heh* I didn't expect this world to be greatly different. Everything was black and gold and made up of wood planks. There was artwork everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE! Hanging on every wall, scattered all over the floor… It was fascinating to explore…” Ink visibly shuddered. “…but then I came across a fallen monster…cut open on a table…It was horrible. I should have left after seeing it… If only I had, I wouldn’t have found that blasted ink machine."

 

“...ink machine?”   
   
The artist shifted his gaze to the floor, remorse written all over his face. There was a long pause in which Sans wondered if Ink was even  **going**  to continue the story. He was about to ask if the machine was what caused his injuries when Ink exhaled a loud, lengthy sigh.  
   
“The ink machine is what created Bendy. He attacked me, and nearly  **killed**  me while ink flooded the room.” Ink rolled up his sleeve and held out his arm. Looking at his complexion, Sans puts the pieces together and grimaced. It’s ink, from the machine the artist speaks of; that plagued his bones and turned them grey. Sans held the opportunity to joke. He couldn't imagine the horror Ink must have gone through. “To answer your question, yes, I do believe Bendy is dangerous; which is why I desperately need your help in finding him, Sans. Before something bad happens.”

  
   
Sans glanced back at the door. He thought about his brother, their friends and all the patrons drinking cheerfully at the bar right now. Everyone was unaware of the new threat. “I’ll keep a lookout in Snowdin.” He said gravely. 

  
Ink pushed himself up from his seat, brushing away the dust it left behind on his jacket. “And I’ll go on and search Waterfall; I speculate he is somewhere close. If you do find him before me, try to keep him contained until I arrive-?!”

 

Both skeletons suddenly snap their heads up to the ceiling. There was a loud hollow sound above them, as though someone was stomping through the house or hammering a nail into the floor. Dust that lightly coated the ceiling sprinkled over their heads. Sans assumed Papyrus was home, most likely in the kitchen; judging from the resonance of his heavy footsteps. “I should go inside before Papyrus goes looking for me at Grillby’s.” He states. The artist pulled his hood up and nod in understanding. 

  
   
They quietly left the lab; but not before peeking outside to confirm it was clear to come out. Ink zipped up his jacket as the cold winds hit him and he tucked his hands into the pockets; the drawing of Bendy still in his grasp. “By the way, don’t tell the other Sans’s about this. I don’t want word getting to Error.” He warned, even though he had to have told Outer in order to borrow his clothes. 

  
   
The artist took off running again, against the snow and wind, towards the blurry path that led to Waterfall’s territory. Sans watched him leave until he was out of sight, then looked back at Grillby’s neon sign. 

  
_Not tonight’_  


  
After everything Ink had told him, drinking had become the last thing on his mind. He turned and went straight for home. The front door was unlocked, much to his disapproval, but like himself, Papyrus had a list of bad habits. His brother trusts others too much. Snowdin is a peaceful town with a minimal history of violence, but Sans didn’t want to risk the safety of their home if something were to change. Something like, I don’t know, a loose ink monster roaming their world…

  
   
Despite this, Sans didn’t get mad, keeping in mind how many times Papyrus had let him off the hook with only a stern lecture. He can always talk to him later about it. Instead, he happily announced his arrival. “Papyrus, I’m home!” 

  
   
There was a humming noise coming from the kitchen, and the house smelled of garlic and tomato sauce. Papyrus must be cooking again. 

 

Sans could hear him talking to someone; which he assumes is Undyne. The former captain would often visit them when Alphys gets too caught up in her work to spend some time with her. This was perfect! He can show not only his brother but also that hot-headed fish he won’t be drinking tonight. It would be a step towards fixing their relationship. He stepped into the kitchen, smiling with content.

  
   
“Smells good. What’s for...dinner…Papyrus…?”   
   
“SANS! WELCOME HOME, BROTHER!” Papyrus had an apron on over his battle body and was stirring a freshly cooked pot of spaghetti. A big grin crossed his face upon Sans’s entrance, but Sans was staring past him at the monster sitting at their table. 

  
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
   
The ink devil stared back at the blue coat wearing skeleton, looking just as surprised as him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to DQI(Ponygirloo9) for being my beta reader/editor, fantastic job! 
> 
> Also, hi Flareon and Vriska(you know who you two are) thank you for reading this, so glad you guys hopped on the Bendy bandwagon as well lol.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bendy and Papyrus's side while Ink and Sans were busy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took so long. July was not a good month for me x_x. Plus Miitopia came out and I was addicted to that game for awhile and then there's work...ugh so many distractions!
> 
> Also, Percy and Louis are OCs

_His hands moved with swift grace on the piano; every ivory and charcoal key caressed by his fingers lightly. Together with Alice Angel’s hypnotic singing, the melody they produce sounded beautiful and elegant. Every sharp sends haunting chills down the spine of the listeners in the old timeless club._

_Even though it’s Alice, in her black strapless gown and long heels, who had the spotlight, the ink devil could feel many eyes on him. Perhaps they are amazed by his change in style. After all, who would have thought the demon, well known for his mischief, would choose to play a tune so calm it could put the most restless of children to sleep._

_Bendy ignored the awestruck whispers coming from the crowd. Putting his focus on harmonizing with Alice’s voice and keeping his posture straight on the wooden stool. When it comes to music, his creator made him a prodigy. Every note he played was on tempo, and every sound was perfect. Not once did he stumble in a performance and never was there a song he couldn’t play._

_That’s because during recording sessions their creator, Joey Drew, would refuse to allow any mistakes. If the ink devil’s piano didn’t sound right, he’d make the music department redo the song again and again until it was absolute perfection. The same rules were applied to Alice’s voice actress and Boris’s clarinet player. Any slip up, any note slightly off key, and they had to redo everything._

_Joey had no idea that any development done to the show would shift and change the Ink World, a vast realm where his creations can live freely between episodes. Nor did he know that such a world existed. However, it's because of Joey, his creations are gifted with many talents including music. Supposedly, they could thank him for that…but that would be the only thing the ink devil would thank him for…_

_Alice blew a kiss to the cheering crowd at the end of the performance. She curtsied, and Bendy bowed from his seat. Another successful show. He hopped from his stool as soon as she left the stage, and went straight to the bar._

_The bartender, Louis, was a tall back alley cat with the cliché tough guy scarred nose and chipped ear appearance. A fat cigar sat between his teeth, puffing out circular clouds of white smoke into the air. He served the ink devil his usual drink of choice then leered at him, shaking his head. “Dang Bendy, how did you get so lucky?”_

_Like all the other times he’s asked that question, the ink devil smirked and shrugged his shoulders. He knew what the cat was implying. He’s one of Alice Angel’s show mates which made him the target of all her jealous fanboys. At times, her fans would confront him to ridiculous dares, holding a belief that they’ll win her heart if they beat him. When in fact, the two are nothing more than close friends._

_There’s one particularly tall and stubborn demon named Percy who considered himself Bendy's biggest rival. When it’s not to impress Alice, Percy will fight him for superiority, a running theme that was a big part of their show._

_“I’ll be honest with ya. When Miss Angel said, she was lookin’ to perform her latest lullaby I wasn’t expectin’ to see you up there, Mister Swing King.”_

_’Swing King’_

_The ink devil imagined a big bright sign with that title hanging over the stage at his next performance. He could get used to a nickname like that._

_“She must reeeeeally trust you to give her a good show. Not that she can’t manage on her own. Say, you wouldn’t mind if I ask Miss Angel out, would ya?” Louis had a thick, rough laugh that almost makes him look and sound like a villain when he throws his head back. The ink devil rolled his eyes at him and leaned further on the counter. If he hadn’t known the bartender personally, he would’ve cracked a glass bottle over his head and handled the consequences that followed comedically._

_The relationship between him and Alice may not be romantic, but he still held their friendship to heart. That means if any sleazebag thinks they can hit on her, they better think twice._

_“I would be flattered if you ask me out,” Alice said, and the ink devil adjusted in his seat when she took the stool next to him. She smiled, sweet like honey. “but I would also politely decline.”_

_“No fret Miss Angel, I’m just raggin’ ol Bendy here,” Louis smirked. “Same as always, ma’am?”_

_“Yes, please.”_

_The bartender flicked his cigar and got right to work._

_A pour of liquor, a little sugar and a few shakes later; a cocktail with a lime slice is served in the club’s finest glass. Alice took a sip and hums happily. “Thank you, Louis.” She handed the bartender a few silver coins. Then she turns to her show mate._

_“Say, Bendy, remember that fruitcake a gracious fan left in my dressing room?”_

_A wicked grin slowly spread across his face as he recalled the mischief that took place before the show. Oh yeah, he remembers the cake. It was delicious._

_“Well, it's missing. Did you take it?”_

_Bendy gave her his best surprised reaction, an expression that said ’Who me? No way!’ and pressed his hand to his chest to act as though he’s insulted by her accusation. A little halo, made from cartoon magic even appeared over his head to protect his false innocence._

_Alice looked skeptical. She knows him too well to buy any of this tomfoolery, and he knew it. “I also heard rumors that you were the one who crashed Percy’s boat and caused the dock fire. Is this true?” She asked, and the ink devil grins. His little halo doubled in size._

_She reached for it, plucking the shiny ring effortlessly between her thumb and index finger. Then, without any warning and in the most graceful way possible, she flicks her wrist and the halo shattered like glass over his head._

_“Bendy I asked you to behave! One of these days you’re going to get yourself into serious trouble that you won’t be able to get out of!” Alice’s face flushed a dark gray. Her cheeks puffed like an angry child. “Do you know how I would feel if you disappeared?!”_

_He rubbed the spot where she hit, brushing off the shimmering glassy remains of the halo. He winced when his fingers touched a diagonal cut running down the left side of his head, right under his horn. It stung, and he can feel it bleeding, but he’s more surprised at her than the injury itself. Alice was never violent outside the episodes._

_’What in the world, Alice?’ Bendy mouthed, feeling angry and a little betrayed for believing she would never hurt him like he would never hurt her._

_There was a sudden silence in the club. The ink devil looked out at their devoted fans watching from the tables; captivated by their drama like they were performing another show. Oh, the crowd was getting a show alright. Two stars, best friends since the birth of Sillyvision, fighting for the first time in front of the very people that admire them. Surely they’ll see this on the front page tomorrow._

_“Damn…” Louis awed the only spoken response._

_Alice never looked so embarrassed in her life._

_“Can we talk in private?” She asked him, paying no mind to the whispers._

_He followed her back stage to the dressing rooms where no one would be around to hear them. Even though Alice didn’t say what she wanted to talk about, the ink devil already feared what it could be. His teeth clenched and there was a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach._

_Once they were in the hallway, Alice turned to him and used her gentle fingers to examine the cut._

_“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” She said, kneeling to his eye level and pulling a handkerchief from her sleeve. The ink devil pushed her hand away before she could dab the wound, and shot her a cold stare that asked, ’What is going on?’_

_She looked hurt by it, but so was he. “It’s- It’s hard to believe Sillyvision is ending.” And there it was, the words he didn’t want to hear, the gut feeling he had hoped was wrong. Bendy flinched hard, but then his hands curled into tight balls at his side._

_She wasn’t supposed to know yet. He was supposed to be the one to tell her after the last episode aired; when he had a plan on how to approach her._

_Who told her?_

_Boris? No, he would never break a promise. Louis wouldn’t know anything about the studio either._

_Percy? That jerk always had it out for him, being the villain that he is. He’d be the one to tell Alice if he knew it was a secret; just to get under his skin._

_Suppose it doesn’t matter now. She already knows. The ink devil could shake his fist at the sky and silently curse the Ink World, and it would make no difference._

_Alice reads him like a book, and when she spoke, he could hear the glum in her voice. “I overheard Boris talking. The last episode is planned to air next month.” He could tell she was getting teary-eyed while avoiding any eye contact with him. She’s upset, which is exactly why he didn’t want her to know yet._

_“What will happen to us, Bendy? Does this mean we will lose our immortality? Does this mean we can-” Alice stopped and drew in a deep shuddering breath; exhaling unevenly. She opened her mouth to say more but then grimaced, as if she’s afraid to continue her thought. The outburst was making sense now. She’s not mad at him, she fears for him._

_Their creator is the foundation of their existence. They wouldn’t have this world if Joey didn’t unknowingly build it with his own ink and paper. It is scary to think what will happen when he doesn’t need the cartoon anymore. Without a show or a purpose, could they…disappear?_

_No surprise, Bendy hadn’t thought about this during his latest shenanigans. Clearly, Alice had, which made sense as to why she’s been asking him to behave. She’s protective of him, always was since the beginning of their show. She was thinking of him when the news came to her. While he, being thoughtless and ignorant, was only thinking of the mischief he could cause. It’s his fault she’s upset._

_The ink devil uncurls his fists. His face relaxed into a soft smile. He took Alice by the shoulder to grab her attention. She looked up at him and wiped away the tear sitting at the edge of her eye. “You’re telling me not to worry?”_

_’We’ll be alright,’ He mouths without thinking. ‘I promise.’_

_She chuckled, which was not the reaction he expected but one he’s happy to hear, even if she laughs half heartily because she didn’t believe him. He won’t blame her for being doubtful. “We won’t know until the day comes, Bendy. Please try to behave yourself until then. Can you do that for me?” Alice asked. She flashed a genuine smile that is always beautiful in his eyes._

_His face beamed at the sight of it and left butterflies in his stomach. But if there was one thing he learned from their show, it’s that nothing good lasts forever. Her smile fell as soon as her gaze shifted to the right, to a looming shadow approaching them. “B-Boris?”_

_The ink devil was about to turn when a hand grabbed for the knot of his white bowtie and lifted him off the ground. He instinctively lashed out at his attacker, twisting wildly in their hold until his back suddenly slammed against the wall. He felt their hands shift to his sides, pinning his arms in place._

**_“Where are you?”_ ** _Boris’s face was melting. There was ink leaking out of his dead ‘X’  shaped eyes and ran down his muzzle. More of it pooled in his mouth and dripped to the floor when he flexed his jaw. For a moment, the ink devil stared horrified at the wolf, unsure if what he was seeing was really his friend or some fucked up joke from the cartoonists._

_‘Boris? Pal?’_

_The wolf abruptly pulled him forward, only to throw him against the wall again. This time with enough force to cause whiplash. Blinding white lights flashed before Bendy’s eyes. He didn’t feel the pain until he tried shrinking away from the wolf as much as he could._

**_“Where are you!?”_ ** _Boris growled again. His sharp canines were shining awfully close to his face, and even though the ink devil was scared, he kept his composure. That is until he felt a sharp sting from the cut. Then the familiar sensation of ink pouring down his forehead. The black liquid had already blinded his left eye before he realized what was happening, and was inching its way down to his right. That’s when he panicked._

_‘Alice, help me!’_

_He went wild looking for the fallen angel but found himself alone with the wolf. Alice had vanished, and so did everything else. What was the hallway was now a vast empty darkness, with a single spotlight that seemed to focus solely on him and Boris. He could see every grotesque detail of Boris’s transformation under the light, down to the incision on the wolf’s chest that had been stitched up with woven rusted wire. That sick twisted human…_

****

**_“ANSWER ME!”_ ** _Boris screamed and shook the ink devil furiously. A sharp hiss escaped his throat. He couldn’t help it; the wolf’s claws were piercing his arms, spilling beads of blood as he’s being shaken._

_‘Boris, stop! Stop!‘_

_It hurt, it hurt a lot, and the struggle he put up only made it so much worse. As ink continued to drip over his good eye, the claws of his close friend dug deeper into his skin._

 

_‘Stop! Please! I’m sorry, I’m sorry Boris! It’s my fault-‘_

“BENDY, WAKE UP”

 

_‘it’s all my fault!’_

* * *

 

 

 “BENDY” The small monster snaps awake, looking scared and confused. Papyrus sighs his relief and stops shaking him. “OH THANK GOODNESS, I WAS GETTING WORRIED.” He shifts back some to give Bendy space to sit up on the dog bed. The very same dog bed he left for the human those many months ago. It looked uncomfortable the way Bendy was balled up on it when he found him. He couldn’t imagine the harsh winds blowing through the shed being much help either.

 

“WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?” Papyrus asked the poor monster that continues to shiver. Bendy ignores him and scoots back until he’s pressed against the wall. Even then he curls himself up again, arms tight around his knees and hyperventilates.  

 

“BENDY?” Papyrus felt pity for him. He’s really freaked out. Sans use to do the same thing when he had nightmares. Those nights were always rough to get through, but after the third time, Papyrus knew what to do. He unravels his scarf to flat it out like a blanket.

“BENDY IT’S OK. IT WAS ONLY A DREAM.” Papyrus hushed the same words he would tell Sans. “YOU’RE SAFE.”

 

Bendy flinched when he draped the scarf around him. Confusion looked him in the face to which he calmly smiles at. “IT’S ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS. WE MET EARLIER REMEMBER?”

 

Bendy's eyes widen. At first, he looked ready to bolt out of the shed, and Papyrus was prepared for it. He didn’t want to lose him in the middle of a snowstorm; he’ll freeze to death.

 

However there was a change in emotion, and Bendy throws himself at his battle body instead, burying his face in the armor and hugs him tightly with shaky arms.

 

Papyrus didn’t quite know how to respond. He hugs Bendy back to comfort him, but the suddenness of it for once left him speechless. He stood with the ink devil still in his arms and stepped out into the chilly night.

 

He’ll take him home, get some blankets, make his famous spaghetti and maybe when he’s feeling better; they can talk about why he lied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: If Bendy has a voice in the game, I want his first words to be 'Me Hoy Minoy Me!' 
> 
> Her: You're an idiot...


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its a struggle but I'm trying to lay back on the whole perfectionist issue I am battling with myself. It stresses me out too much and takes longer to finish chapters. If there are mistakes, then there are mistakes and I will eventually go back to chapters and fix them. 
> 
> On a side note, I am noticing that I've been drifting further away from the Undertale fandom. I still love the game and the characters and of course I'm still going to work on this story, this is too fun to stop. It's just something I'm noticing.

Sans froze in the kitchen threshold. His mind raced with questions. He just couldn’t believe what he was seeing. When did this happen? Where did he come from? Why is he here?! There’s no way Sans could have prepared for this.

When Ink warned him about Bendy he thought about the safety of his brother first, and his house second. However, he was not expecting to actually find him in his house and in the same room as his brother!

But there was Bendy, sitting at the kitchen table. With him, he had a black sharpie and a stack of color construction paper. Strangely, he looked exactly like the pencil drawing Ink had. There was no color to him at all. It’s as if he was summoned from the old black and white sketch through a magic ritual of sorts. One only Ink would figure out.

 

Sans wanted to say something sharp, something that would send off warning bells so Papyrus knows he’s serious. Something that would get his brother out of the house and far away as possible from Bendy, but he struggled to find words. He stared like a ghost at Bendy’s large pie-cut eyes and round face, practically paralyzed and conflicted on what to do. It left an awkward tension that had Bendy nervously tapping fingers on the table and shoot a couple of glances between him and his brother. All of this goes unnoticed by Papyrus.

 

“SIT DOWN SANS, DINNER IS ALMOST READY.” The cheer in Papyrus's voice cuts through the silence. Sans turned to see his brother still stirring the pot on the stove with his back still turned away from them. He hums a tune like everything was normal in the world.

 

“Oh, right” Sans took a deep breath before advancing across the kitchen. His soul was thundering so hard against his rib cage he thought it might burst out of his chest. He sat in the chair across from Bendy and the wood creaked under his weight as he eased back into the seat. Bendy watched him with careful eyes. “So um, you gonna introduce our guest, bro?”

 

Papyrus turned around. He had a ladle in his hand and a grin on his face.

 

“YES, MY APOLOGIES. THIS IS BENDY HE WILL BE JOINING US FOR DINNER.” He said. “BENDY THIS IS MY LAZY BROTHER, SANS.” Amicably enough, the ink monster waved, and Sans could see that he only had four fingers on both gloved hands, just like his picture. He waved back awkwardly. “hey, I’m Sans.”

Bendy slid a sheet of blue paper off the top of the stack and wrote a message in big letters before holding it up.

‘ **HIYA** ’

 

“Not a big talker huh? I heard of _cat got your tongue,_ but I never heard of a cat losin’ his tongue.” Sans joked. Bendy was not amused.

 

“I'M AFRAID HE CAN’T TALK. COMMUNICATING HAS BEEN A LITTLE DIFFICULT, SO I GAVE HIM PAPER TO WRITE ON,”

 

“Ah, a mute. Well, that’s cool of you, bro,” Sans said smiling to mask his worries. He eyed a small pile of crumpled up paper at the far end of the kitchen. There was black sharpie scribbled all over them, making him wonder what conversations they could have possibly had before he walked in.

 

“YES, THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS VERY COOL,” Papyrus boasted proudly. “REMEMBER THAT WHEN I PICK UP AFTER YOU.”

 

“I always do,” Sans replied. “You know that.”

 

“YES, WELL, SOMETIMES I THINK YOU FORGET,” Papyrus said, frowning a bit.

 

“That’s impossible. I always think you’re great, Pap.”

 

The tall skeleton made a face that showed skepticism. It looked like he wanted to say more from the way his mouth opened and hung for a second, but no words uttered. Papyrus went back to what he was doing without saying any more, and left Sans feeling worried. It’s unlike his brother to stop a conversation like that. Was he still upset about morning? Did he somehow make things worse between them? He had to know what was wrong. He needed to fix their relationship before it got worse.

 

“Papyrus, are you-?”

Sans started, but the stiff screech of a sharpie drew his attention back to the monster in front of him. Bendy was frowning and holding up a red paper message written in capital letters. The little skeleton felt his soul jump.

 

**‘IM A DEMON FOR YOUR INFORMATION. NOT A CAT YA BONEHEAD ‘**

“What?”

Bendy crumpled the paper into a ball, tossing it over his shoulder. He held up a yellow one next.

**‘I SHOULD’VE CHUCKED A SNOWBALL AT YOUR HEAD WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE. ‘**

_What?!_

It took Sans only a moment to realize what Bendy was talking about, and when he did, he felt a cold dread creep over him. Most mornings, he and Papyrus were the first ones entering the forest, and because it didn’t make sense for a juvenile to stay after committing a crime, he had thought they were alone when they found his station vandalized. It’s become very clear to him now that they were not alone.

Panic bloomed inside Sans. He didn’t know which was more terrifying, Bendy bluntly admitting he’s a demon, or knowing he had been watching them.

 

For a split-second, he thought about teleporting to Waterfall with the hope of finding Ink and bringing him back. The shorter skeleton couldn’t have gone too far after all. That thought diminished quickly, however, when Papyrus set a plate in front of him and another in front of Bendy. There’s no way he could leave his brother alone with this demon.

 

“EAT UP, AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. I ADDED A FEW EXTRA SPICES THIS TIME.” Though he sounded eager, Papyrus didn’t wait for a review and instead went back to add more stuff to the boiling pot.

 

“Thanks, pap,” Sans poked at his food. It doesn’t take much observation to know the pasta is bad. He could tell just by looking at it. The noodles were mushy and pale, and they stuck to the fork like paste, the sauce was a burnt orange color, and the smell…his stomach churned at the garlicky aroma filling his nasal cavity.

Bendy lifted a fork full of pasta up to his face. Suspicion shone in his big black eyes.

 A wicked idea crossed the little skeleton.

 

“Try it, it’s good,” Sans lied through his teeth. Cruel, but a fitting revenge. Even if he has to eventually man up and eat the food himself, seeing the demon react to his brother’s cooking is well worth it.

 

“My bro makes this stuff all the times. We practically eat it every day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, a midnight snack, you name it. Take it from me, my friend. The taste will take you on a wild ride.”

 

Sans glanced over at the stove. His brother must have slipped out of the room without informing them because he saw a steaming pot but no cook. He had hoped Papyrus would hear this because he knows how much his brother loves his cooking praised –even though he always sugar coats the truth-- and yet he’s relieved to see him out of Bendy’s sight.

 

Bendy stared at Sans then at the food with some uncertainty. He shrugged his shoulders then took a bite.

 

There was an immediate reaction. The fork slipped from his fingers, hitting the tile floor. Throwing a hand up to his mouth, Bendy jerked his head to the left, so it was away from the table and fought the sudden urge to vomit. His body convulsed violently in his seat, pie-cut eyes wide with horror. From the look on his face, it had to be the worst thing he has ever tasted.

Sans couldn’t stop snickers. _‘This is a bit dramatic’_ he thought, taking him back to his first time eating one of Papyrus’s meals.  He had to fight really hard to keep his face straight, and mouth closed. It was worth it, to keep his brother happy.

 

Despite the foul taste, Bendy managed to choke down the food then let out a series of short breaths that sound like whistles. When he looked back at Sans, it was a look of disbelief.

 

Sans smirked at the demon. “What? I told you it would take you on a wild ride.” He chuckled

 

Bendy glared at the skeleton and made a sound that might have been a growl. Roughly he grabs another sheet of paper from the stack, cutting Sans’ laughter short.  

 

“Hey, what are you doing?” Sans asked, raising a brow. The skeleton stood up, leaning way over the table to see what Bendy was writing.

 

‘ **THIS FOOD IS HORRIB-‘**

 

The paper was yanked out of Bendy’s hands before he could finish. Sans had thrown himself on top of the table to get it, landing his ribs and sternum pretty hard on the wood surface. He ripped the paper in half in front of Bendy and tore those halves in half. Then tossed the pieces into the air to shower over the demon like confetti.

 

“Watch it,” His voice dropped to a low, threatening level. Leaning on his elbows, Sans points a bony finger in Bendy’s surprise face. “You are _not_ going to tell my bro anything other than his cooking is great, got it? He works hard and doesn’t need an imp like you tearing his confidence dow-AWK!”

 

Sans was suddenly overwhelmed by the taste, smell and sight of overcooked spaghetti. Bendy had moved so fast; the skeleton didn’t have time to react. The demon smashed the plate in his face before he could do anything, getting spaghetti in his eye-sockets, nasal and mouth. Tears welled in the corner of Sans’s eyes. Whatever spices Papyrus put in the spaghetti was burning all his senses to hell. He pushed off the table to grab at his own conjured throat and coughed violently.

 

“You- *cough* You think you’re… *cough*” Was all Sans could wheeze out, spitting up mashed pieces of spaghetti and sauce on the floor between words. His eyes were watering so much he couldn’t see anything in front of him anymore. Carefully he dug through his sockets, wiping out whatever pasta was stuck around the edges then blinked a few times until his vision returned to normal. It took some effort to get the smaller bits out of his nasal.

 

Bendy was having a riot, laughing it up with his arms wrapped around his middle, teetering back in his seat. Like his breathing, his laughter came out in short wheezes, sounding much like a choppy kettle whistle.

 

Sans stared daggers at the laughing demon. He wiped his face off with the back of his jacket sleeve then sparked his left eye with magic. A wide grin split his face. “You think you’re funny, huh? I’ll show you something to laugh about.”

 

At the snap of his fingers, Sans coats his plate with blue magic and lifts it off the table with his power. Bendy started and quickly ducked his head just as the skeleton thrust out his arm. The plate soared across the room, flying over the demon’s head, missing him by an inch and smashed into the wall behind him. It exploded on impact and sent ceramic and noodles flying in every direction. Bendy looked behind him at the huge blotchy stain the pasta had left on the wall. When he turned back to Sans, he stuck his tongue out.

_Cocky son of a…_

 

“NYEH?!” Sans spun at the sound of Papyrus’s voice. His brother stood in the kitchen threshold jaw hanging open and eyes fixed on the messy floor.

 

“Pap! uh, wha-where were you, bro?” Sans asked sheepishly. Oh boy, how was he going to explain this?

 

“I THOUGHT I SAW SOMETHING OUT THE WINDOW,” Papyrus replied slowly and bewildered, as he maneuvers around broken shards and mashed food to get to the table. “I WENT OUT TO LOOK, BUT NOTHING WAS THERE…WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPEN HERE?”  

 

Papyrus was staring at both of them now, but Sans knew the question was directed more towards him. Before Sans could even come up with a proper answer, Bendy promptly points a blaming finger in his direction, and Papyrus shifts all his attention to him. Sans shot a glare at the demon whose deadpan expression only annoyed him more. 

 

“Accident.”  He muttered, passing Papyrus to get a broom from the closet.

 

* * *

 

 

**To Shorty:**

**Get back to Snowdin ASAP. I found what youre looking for.**

***Send***

 

Sans sunk to the tile floor. In all the excitement he hadn’t realized how tired he was until now. Somehow, he managed to clean up the kitchen without falling asleep. The only thing he had left to do was pick up that pile of balled up paper.

Which reminds him....

Sans turned to the pile and reached out to grab the closet ball he could get. Unraveling it, he reads what’s written.

**‘I CAN’T TELL YOU.’**

Furrowing his brow, he grabs for another. A purple one that wasn’t as creased as the others.

**‘HIS NAME WAS BORIS.’**

_Boris? Who’s Boris?_

 

He was about to grab for a third when something heavy fell with a thud. Sans started and pushed himself back on his feet. Summoning a small bit of his magic, he peeked into the living room to see his brother snoring on the couch.

 

One of his long legs was dangling over the arm, almost touching the floor. Laying close to his foot and toppled on its side was a small couch side table they found in the junkyard a while back. Papyrus must have kicked it over in his sleep.

 

Sans sighs and shakes his head. His brother really was too nice for his own good. Letting Bendy sleep in his room while he cramps his body on the couch is a bit over the top even for him.

 

When Papyrus told him he wanted Bendy to stay the night, there was no arguing. It was a terrible idea, in fact the worse idea Papyrus could have ever thought up, and yet Sans knew it was better to have Bendy here, where he can keep an eye on him than have him run loose in the Underground. To warm himself up to the arrangement Sans kept reminding himself that this was only temporary, just until Ink comes by and takes Bendy back to where ever he came from. Then the demon will be out of their lives.

And good riddance when that happens.

 

Sans tiptoed through the living room so not to disturb his brother and went up the stairs. He stopped just before Papyrus’s door, and for curiosity sake quietly peeked inside the room.

 

On the bed, he saw Bendy, awake, with his legs curled up against his body and arms around his knees. He was staring out the window. He looked lost in some deep thought that was probably keeping him awake, that or the rattling noise the wind was making outside.

 

Quietly and carefully, Sans closed the door. Then collapsed in the hallway with his back pressed against the wall. He was so tired. His body begged for sleep, but he didn’t want to, not yet. Ink still hadn’t replied.

Pulling out his phone, he checked for an update from the artist and groaned when there wasn’t any. What the heck was Ink doing?

 

**To Shorty:**

**Ink Im serious the demon is in my house. you need to get back here now.**

***Send***

Sans could feel himself leaning further down the wall, his eyes growing heavier by the second. He stared at his phone for as long as he could stay awake, and waited….and waited…and waited for a text message that never came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn it Sans, you didn't finish cleaning the kitchen!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ink learns something new about the Temmies and Sans continues to be a demonist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooh boy, my longest chapter yet. This was planned to be much much longer but I had to stop, it would have probably taken me another 2 weeks. 
> 
>  
> 
> Also thank you Lyra, I saw your drawing and I loved it!

Ink took a moment to steel himself for what he knows will be a maddening experience. Just ahead of him he could see the big Temmie statue, standing fifteen feet tall next to the petit village’s only shop.

Gathered in the center were a hand full of the strange dog-cat monsters with two sets of ears and a head full of black hair. They were all wearing their traditional blue shirts and talking in their loud gibberish language with dopey smiles on their furry faces. They haven’t noticed Ink yet, but stars help him when they do.

 

Besides the village, Ink had already checked every secret and corner of Waterfall he thought to look, and so far, found no leads of where Bendy could be. He was careful to avoid residents, not wanting to cause a panic or alert Bendy that he was coming for him, but if there were monsters that knew anything and everything that went on in Waterfall it would be Undyne and the Temmies. And because Undyne was formally the captain of the Royal Guards and Ink was afraid she might mistake him for Sans, he picked the Temmies.

 

The Temmies are…an interesting bunch. They aren’t very bright, but they aren’t completely dumb either. When given enough funds the monsters can make pretty good armor for anyone who’s asking. Their communication skills, however, was a different story and one of many reasons why other monsters avoid the Temmie Village, and why he knows he will hate every bit of this.

 

After doing a quick scan of his surrounding, Ink took the picture of Bendy out of his pocket.

He needs cooperation if he‘s going to find this devil, something these guys will not easily give, but skipping the village wouldn’t be wise either.

This was going to be difficult.

But, he entered the village prepared as much as he could possibly be.

 

“Excuse me” Ink called out, and every wide beady eye turned his way. “I’m looking for—"

 A shrill voice immediately cuts him off.

“HOI!!! I’m tEMMIE!” Shouted a Temmie. The one closest to him then pranced over, large ears flopping up and down with each bounce.

A second Temmie followed behind her and playfully tugged at his leg with her little paw. “HOI!!! am also tEMMIE! Com meet our frend, tEMMIE!”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t—"

“HOI!!!” Ink jumped and whipped around. A third had snuck up behind him. “am tEMMIE, frend of tEMMIE!”

“Hi. I’m looking for someone—” Ink tried to get out when the first Temmie suddenly gasped. “HOI tEMMIE!!!” She looked to her left and right. “Where tEMMIE?”

“Am right here!” The second Temmie, the one that tugged at his leg, called out from beside him. “HOI!!!”

“Not u tEMMIE. Other tEMMIE.”

“other tEMMIE over there.” The third pointed to a single Temmie standing by herself at the other end of the village. They waved their paws at her, shouting as they did, earning them a high-pitch ‘HOI’ that echoed back.

“Com over here!” The first Temmie called out. “Skeleton got foob!!!”

 _Foob?_ It took Ink a few seconds to translate the word. The Temmie code wasn’t hard to crack, just annoying. “Wait a minute; I never said I had food!”

Pointing to the rainbow vials lying across his chest, the second Temmie cheerfully cried out. “Nonsense! Color foob!”

“No no no, these are not food!” Ink grabbed for the strap of his utility belt, protectively. “It’s paint. You can’t eat paint; you’ll get sick. Besides, I need these.” He said, however, the Temmie seemed to have already lost interest in him, in favor of the lonely one across the village. “Com on tEMMIE!”

The lonely Temmie seemed reluctant to move. She paced around a bit before shouting back, unhappily. “Cant, got hOIVS!”

The third Temmie flipped on her back, and little ‘X’ marks took the place of her eyes. “hOIVS!? NO gud.”

 “NO gud at all.” The first Temmie shouted, following the same manner.

 

Ink could feel his patience already wearing thin. He was tired, annoyed and just about had enough of this awful day.

“Hey!” He shouted.  

“HOI!!!” The three Temmies shrilled back, sending a chill down his spine. Their faces vibrated intensely.

Ink grimaced and backed away to keep a little distance from them. “I’m looking for someone.” After rolling out the picture, he held it out for the monsters to see. The three Temmies froze and squinted their beady eyes.

“Who iz dat?”

 “It doesn’t matter who he is, just have you seen him?” Ink said through gritted teeth. His voice came out harsher then he intended. The Temmies didn’t seem to notice or care, though.

“No, see him before. Maybe tEMMIE has!” The first Temmie looked to her companions.

The second shook her head. “Nope! Would remember funny face.”

The third looked over to the lonely Temmie again, who was now covered in red spots, and called out to her. “HOI tEMMIE!!!”

“HOI!!!”  

“Have u seen funny face!?!?”

The lonely one also shook her head. “Only tEMMIE!!!” She shouted back.

Ink has had enough at this point. He was getting a headache. Clearly, these guys haven’t seen Bendy, but he couldn’t leave just yet, as much as he wanted to at the moment. He still had to ask the shopkeeper, the leader of the Temmies, and probably the only one that would have any real intel to share. While the four Temmies talked back to each other, he slipped away from them, going straight to the shop.

“NO!!!!”

They moved fast, two scurried around him while another dove through the space in between his legs and made a little Temmie barricade to block the path leading into the shop.

“t-tEMMIE not here!” One of them cried out.

“yeah!...tEMMIE went tu colleg!”

“Not here! Not here!”

They started shaking, but not from excitement, if their expressions give any indications he’d say they were scared.

Ink looked ahead, puzzled. Without a door, the entirety of the shop could be seen outside. Some shelves held various of random items, a pile of unopen boxes was shoved and stacked in one corner, and Ink could easily see the pointy ears of a hidden Temmie sticking out from behind the cardboard counter. The others were lying, but why?

“I can see her from here.” He told them, and the more he stared at the ears, the more he realized they were also shaking. 

The three Temmies shared a worried look.

“No no no! tEMMIE not here!!! Skeleton seeing things!”

“tEMMIE went to colleg! Won’t be back!”

“tEMMIE not here!!!” Even hOIVs Temmie yelled from across the village.

They stood like protective statues in front of the shop, not budging from the spots no matter what he said. “I just need to speak with her for a second.”

“But tEMMIE not here!”

“It will only be for a second, this is important—”

A dark look crossed the one positioned in the middle. She stomped her foot, screeching louder than the others. “TEMMIE NOT HERE!!!”

 

Ink backed off with hands up.

He knew it would be a losing battle if he tried to argue with them further. They were small enough for him to get through easily, but he was now afraid they’d might turn hostile if he tried.

This was so strange, and they were all so happy just a minute ago. What changed? What made them act like this? It was like they were completely different monsters, not the obnoxious but weirdly cute Temmies that everyone advised to avoid if they didn’t want migraines but still dare to visit anyway.

Ink rubbed his face giving a tired sigh. There was no other option here; he had to give up. He’d be wasting his time if he tried talking them into letting him through. The monsters were stubborn; they would never give in.

 

He was about to head for the exit with his skull down and no lead, when the blissful sound of a clear voice spoke to him.

“Hello there,”

Ink turned around and was shocked to see another Temmie.

“My name is Bob. May I see that picture you have?”

“BOB!!!” Screeched one of the Temmies standing guard, and the three hardened their stance when Ink looked back at them. “tell him tEMMIE not here!”

The Temmie –Bob?— Rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath. She looked no different from the others, but talked much softer and more coherent then them, as if she was speaking a whole other language. There was a rumor about Temmies that traveled farther from the village, about how they learn to adapt their speech by eavesdropping on conversations. Most thought it was nonsense talk, that Temmies weren’t capable of learning speech skills so out of their league, they were only good at making armor.

If Ink didn’t believe the rumor before, he did now.

“Well, may I?” Bob asked the artist, completely ignoring the other Temmies’ pleads.

“Uh, sure.” Ink held out the picture of Bendy. Bob looked it over once, then up at him and smiled.

“I’ve seen him.”

“You have?” Ink almost shouted. “Where?!”

Bob made a head gesture toward the exit. “The garbage dump! It’s not far from here.”  

 “Can you show me the exact location?”

“And leave these numbskulls?” She asked, surprised like she was giving a golden opportunity she couldn’t bypass. “Absolutely.”

Ink couldn’t stop grinning. It was the best news he heard all day. He took a moment to looked up at the cavern ceiling and calculated the time by how many false stars he could count. It was late, but maybe now he can finally get somewhere in this hunt.

 

* * *

 

 

Sans woke the next morning to the sound of Papyrus screaming. Startled and fully awake, he bolted up from the hard floor of the hallway, cracking all his stiff joints, and wasted no time to get to his brother. “Papyrus!?” Sans rushed down the stairs, adrenaline pumping through his body.

 

His worst fear played through his head. _Finding a ragged scarf on a pile of dust, Papyrus nowhere to be seen._ What would he do then? Frisk was on the surface, probably happy back with their family if they weren’t looking for a way to break the barrier. Without their power to reset, he could lose Papyrus for good.

_‘No no no oh stars no!’_

 

Sans pushed that thought from his head. He wasn’t going to let that happen. _Not again_.

 

He ran through the living room in full sprint, passing the front door and the couch and halted just before the threshold leading into the kitchen. In the room, he could see Bendy staring down toward the tile floor, a look of determination on his face. Something glistened in his hand.

_A knife_

Sans threw his hand out in front of him so to capture the demon with his blue magic. Showing no mercy, he threw him, back first, against the cabinets hard enough to shake the entire counter. Bendy sank to the floor. The knife fell from his hand.

 

Confusion washed over his white face as he looked up at Sans, then glowered at the skeleton as he tried to get up, but Sans wasn’t risking anything. He made a quick gesture with his hand that pushed his magic against the demon, pinning him back in place in a T-pose position against the cabinet doors. As he approached Bendy with his left eye blazing blue, the pressure of his magic increased, making it harder for the demon to breath.

“ **What. Did. You. DO?** ”

 

“SANS!”

 

Sans snapped his head to the right. There was Papyrus, standing on the other side of the kitchen with arms crossed and his face set into a deep scowl that he only shows when he’s beyond mad. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? LET GO OF BENDY RIGHT NOW!”

 

Sans blinked, and for a long quiet moment, he did nothing other than shift his gaze between Bendy and his brother, slowly grasping what’s really happening in front of him in comparison to what he had imagined. Then his eyes searched the kitchen.

There was no dust, no marrow, no broken bones or signs of a fight. Everything looked normal. He was still home, this was still the same timeline, and his brother was still here, alive and unharmed. Sans breathed his relief when that finally sunk in. ‘ _Thank the stars he’s okay.’_

 

“LET HIM GO, SANS!” Papyrus yelled again when he didn’t comply to the demand for Bendy’s release.

 

Sans dismissed his magic then, and Bendy grabbed his chest as soon as the pressure was gone, taking in a few needed deep breaths. The labored whistles coming out his mouth increased Papyrus’s anger. The taller skeleton turned to Sans.

 

“I heard you scream.” Sans quickly explained himself before Papyrus could say anything. His pounding soul started to slow. Papyrus was ok that’s all that mattered to him. His brother could get mad all he wanted, but he had his reasons to assume Bendy had done something horrible. This was a _demon_ in their house, though Papyrus may not know that yet.

“I thought you were in trouble. I thought he—” Sans glanced at the floor where Bendy dropped the knife. Then did a double take because it was a _butter knife_ that came from their silverware drawer.

It had a twisted and slightly bent tip from being used as a substitute for a screwdriver one too many times from when he was still fixing that stupid machine in the lab. After turning so many bolts, it became impossible to fix and was forever the odd one in the drawer.

 

Sans felt his face warm up from embarrassment. He was about to kill Bendy if that’s even possible. He was going to try, all because the demon had a butter knife?

 

He could blame his imagination for this, for what Bendy is, and the things Ink told him that fueled his paranoia, but none of that would have mattered to Papyrus if he had wrongly killed him. His brother would have never look at him the same.

 

 “I-..I heard you scream.” Sans said again, a little louder this time.

 

“I DID SCREAM,” Papyrus exclaimed. Then he pointed inside the pantry in an overly dramatic way. “BECAUSE OF THIS MENACE!”

 

Right on cue, Snowdin’s little white thief comes walking out into the open, tail wagging and a blue bone happily in his tiny jaws. The dog had a reputation in Snowdin for being a nuisance that steals food, breaks into homes and tear into things, but there’s nothing he loved more than Papyrus’s stash of bones. This had to be the third time in the past two months the little scoundrel broke in. How he got into their home, again, after all the locks have been changed after the last time, is beyond Sans.

 

“You are really persistence, little guy,” Sans said, kneeling to the dog’s level and holding out his bony hand. Whenever the dog shows up, Sans would get him to gnaw on his hand instead like a teething ring, while carrying him out to a location that’s far enough to draw him away from their house. It doesn’t hurt, and usually, a stick or a falling leaf would distract the dog long enough to forget about the bones. He’d go run off to who knows where until he decided to return.

 

The dog looked up but showed no interest in the hand Sans was offering, either he caught on to the plan, or he really wanted his new steal.

When Sans inched closer, he bared his teeth at him for the first time. Then shifted position, so his body guarded the blue bone as if believing Sans was here to take it from him.

 

That’s when Bendy stepped in, rather pushing the skeleton out of the way. The knife was back in his hand and smothered with peanut butter from a jar Sans only now noticed had been sitting on the counter. He was still breathing hard but not as much as before.

 

Bendy crouched and gave a short whistle to the dog. The dog perked his head up with the bone still hanging from his mouth and sniffed the air.

His black beady eyes caught the demon’s face and slid down to the peanut butter covered knife in his hand, widening with hunger. Dropping the bone, the dog scurried over to lick and nip at the knife, paws dancing on the tile floor and tail wagging happily as he did.

 

Sans was…actually impressed. He tried food before but never succeeded in getting the mutt to take it, especially when it’s food cooked by Papyrus. Admittedly, he was also a little jealous. His brother was beaming with joyful relief.

 

“THANK YOU BENDY,” Papyrus said, sounding very pleased to have to his stuff back from the awful menace that is the white dog, but he hadn’t forgotten about Sans. The taller skeleton gave him another sour look. “CAN YOU GIVE US A MINUTE TO TALK.”

 

 Bendy nodded and picked up the little dog, tucking him under one arm while the mutt held onto the butter knife in between his jaws, then shot Sans a sideways glance that wasn’t mean in any way, but read ‘you can’t blame me for this.’

Papyrus waited until Bendy was out of sight before speaking harshly. “WHY THE HECK DID YOU DO THAT???”

 

“I heard you scream,” Sans said for the third time. “It was a reaction.”

 

“YOU COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY HURT HIM.”

 

“He’s still alive, isn’t he?”

 

“THAT’S NOT THE POINT.” Papyrus shot back, annoyed by how indifferent Sans was acting. “HE’S OUR GUEST.”

 

“He’s also a total stranger, that _you_ brought into our house. I thought he attacked you.”

 

“BECAUSE HE’S A STRANGER???”

 

“Yes!” Sans shouted, throwing his hands up in the air to emphasize how obvious it was. “The underground isn’t a happy place anymore, Papyrus. You can’t keep leaving the front door unlocked, and you can’t go bringing strangers into our house.”

 

“HE WAS GOING TO FREEZE OUTSIDE,” Papyrus argued back. “WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO, LEAVE HIM TO DIE?”

 

There was a long pause during which Sans struggled to find more words to say. Papyrus had him there; even he wouldn’t be able to ignore someone that’s freezing in the cold without a place to go. If he didn’t know the things he knew about Bendy, he would have likely invited him inside as well.

 

“WELL?”

Sans put his hands up defeated. “Ok, you’re right, I’m sorry. I’ll apologize to him later.” He didn’t sound very sincere but meant every word. This didn’t mean he was going to be friendly toward the demon anytime soon.

 “CAN I TRUST YOU TO BE NICE WHILE I’M GONE?” Papyrus uncrossed his arms. His expression softened a bit.

Sans searched through his tired mind for what day it was. “I thought you didn’t work today.”

“I DON’T, BUT I’M STILL GOING TO THE CAPTIAL,” After shooting a quick glance toward the doorway, Papyrus leaned in and whispered. “TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY RECORDS ON BENDY.”

It was easy to forget sometimes how much access power Papyrus had since he became a Royal Guard. He was appointed the position a few months ago, an upgrade from New Home’s personal gardener, and was back to patrolling Snowden once again with Sans’s help, but with a few new rules as well. ‘ _No human shall be harmed.’ ‘All humans must be escorted to Queen Toriel, immediately.’_

It wasn’t the Queen’s first intention to bring back the disbanded Guards, but as time went on with no word from Frisk, hope started to fade from the inhabitants, and the Queen became worried, for both her people and for the next fallen human.

 “Do you think he…might have done something?” Sans pretended to sound concern. He knew Papyrus was going to waste his time looking for files that didn’t exist, but thought it be better if he’d find that out himself.

“WRONG? NOT REALLY. HOWEVER, WHEN I FIRST MET HE TOLD ME IN WRITING THAT HE RECENTLY MOVED TO SNOWDEN, *Sigh* BUT I FOUND HIM IN OUR SHED LAST NIGHT, SLEEPING ON THE DOG BED. HE WAS SEEKING SHELTER FROM THE COLD—”

“Wait, he broke into the shed?”

“IT’S NOT A BIG DEAL, BROTHER,” said Papyrus, and continued before Sans could protest. “AFTER I FOUND HIM, I SUSPECTED HE WAS LYING ABOUT SOMETHING AND CONFRONTED HIM ABOUT IT DURING DINNER PREP. HE CONFESSED, BUT WOULDN’T TELL ME WHERE HE’S REALLY FROM.”

 

Sans thought of the note he picked out from the trash pile. 

_‘I CAN’T TELL YOU’_

It had to be connected to that conversation. However, it didn’t explain the other note.

 ‘ _HIS NAME WAS BORIS’_

 

“IT’S A HUNCH BUT…I THINK HE MIGHT BE RUNNING AWAY FROM SOMETHING.”

Sans looked at his brother like he had just said something crazy. “What makes you think that?”

 

“IT WOULD EXPLAIN WHY HE LIED AND WHY HE WON’T TELL US WHERE HE’S FROM, MAYBE SOMEONE IS OUT LOOKING FOR HIM.”

“That’s a stretch.” Sans chuckled. Deep down he was screaming at Papyrus’s accuracy. He was surprisingly not far from the truth. “I think he’s just homeless.”

 

Papyrus rubbed his chin in thought. “WELL, I SUPPOSE THAT COULD BE TRUE TOO BUT—”

“We’re getting off topic bro,” Sans cuts him off. He slapped a hand on Papyrus back, leading him out the kitchen. “Go on, get out of here while the sun still shinin’, and tell Tori I said hi.”

 

“YOU PROMISE TO BE NICE TO BENDY, RIGHT?” Papyrus again asked. He peered out into the living room, looking where Bendy was sitting. The demon was perched on the stairwell, his body slouched forward. His hand rested on his chin, and he softly whistled a tune. The dog must have left since they couldn’t see him anywhere and nothing appeared to be chewed.

Bendy perked up when he saw the brothers. He smiled friendly toward Papyrus, and it faded when he turned to Sans.

Sans held his hand up like he was making an oath. “Monster scout’s honor.”

“SANS YOU WERE NEVER A MONSTER SCOUT…”

“Do I have to be one for you to trust me? Don’t worry bro; I promise everything will be fine here while you’re gone.” Besides, this wouldn’t be the first time he had to watch a demon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's late and I'm tired so I'm sorry if there are many mistakes x_x. I'll look into fixing them in the morning.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back ladies and gentlemen! 
> 
> Unfortunately not much happens in this chapter, but enjoy anyway!

They had tomato soup, chicken soup, carrot soup, lentil soup and even something weird called vegetoid soup that looked very unappetizing on the label. Why do the vegetables have faces? And why are their smiles so creepy?

 

With a grimace, Bendy carelessly tossed the creepy soup can over his shoulder. It bounced once off the tile floor, rolled past a chair and came to a stop under the kitchen table where many other can foods lay to rest.

 

He looked deeper into the cupboard, still determined to find the best food in the world: Briar Label Bacon Soup. A product of the Joey Drew Studio. Just thinking about the savory taste of those yummy bacon bits mashed with carrots and beans made his stomach growl like a wild beast. He was starving like ink hell.

 

Breakfast hadn’t exactly gone great. Before the dog disaster and being nearly choked out by the short skeleton and his…blue glowy powers, Papyrus was insisting on making breakfast and who was he to deny such a nice offer from a nice guy.

 

That turned out to be a bad idea. Papyrus’s idea of breakfast was leftover spaghetti from last night…if you can really call it spaghetti, it tasted more like an old rubber shoe pulled from a dumpster and covered in chunks of tomato sauce. How in the world does his brother tolerate such an awful taste?

 

To be nice, and because Papyrus was a gracious host and been nothing but kind to him, Bendy had to cover his dread with a fake grateful smile when the skeleton plated him a significant portion of the food. However, he wasn’t ready to send his taste buds on another rocky rollercoaster. It’s bad enough the smell on its own triggered his gag reflexes.

 

He stalled from eating for a good ten minutes until Papyrus left the kitchen for a moment. In that short time, he moved quickly in scrapping off the globs of rancid food into the trash can, leaving nothing but scraps on his plate, so it looked like he ate, and scurried back to his seat before the skeleton returned.

 

Naturally, Bendy put on his best innocent face after the deed was done, and when Papyrus came back, he looked pretty happy to see the plate empty. To the ink devil’s dismay, however, the skeleton had offered him another serving. That’s when he started to understand why Sans didn’t want Papyrus knowing the truth about his cooking. Papyrus was…well…he reminded him so much of Boris in a lot of ways. Just an all around nice guy you’d hate to upset. He could see why it would be hard to say no to him.

 

Fortunately, Bendy didn’t have to, because that’s also when they heard noises from the pantry. It had sounded like a growl of a wild animal and then a thump of something hitting the floor. Papyrus went to investigate. And all hell broke loose from there.

 

That dog might have saved his stomach from Papyrus’s awful cooking but left him regretting not eating at all. If he couldn’t find any bacon soup soon, then he would just have to settle for something else. Maybe that vegetoid soup tasted better than it looked.

 

“Whatever you’re doing in there, you better plan on cleaning up,” Shouted Sans from the living room, after Bendy had tossed another can out of the cupboard. “Also, don’t think because I don’t have my eye sockets on you doesn’t mean I’m not watching you, _demon_ , so don’t try anything.”

 

Bendy rolled his eyes and mimicked the skeleton with soundless words. Why did Papyrus have to leave him alone with this jerk? Couldn’t he have adventured with him to this New Home place he talked about? That sounded a lot more fun than being stuck with his rude brother.

 

Ignoring the idle threat, he continued digging through the cupboard until his hand was wrapped around the last can of food. He pulled it out into the light only to be disappointed to see another tomato soup label.

No bacon.

 

The ink devil heeds his stomach as it yelled for him to hurry up and eat something already, settling with tomato soup and went to put the can on the counter to pull the metal top off. Now he just needed to find a clean saucepan, a bowl, and a ladle.

 

Before Bendy could begin to search for any of those things, however, he heard a sound that was familiar to him in the next room and went still.

 

It was music, but not just any music. He was hearing clarinets and loud trumpets, a toe-tapping bass and a piano playing in the C sharp major. It was catchy and rhythmic and had him nodding to the beat.

Bendy’s heart drummed wildly in his chest as his face split into a wide, excited smile.

He knew this music. He’s played it on every piano he could get his little hands on. Even danced and twirled with Alice under the spotlight to the bands at the club. It’s…

‘ _Swing music!’_

 

Bendy zoomed into the living room.

 

He hopped over the back of the couch in one easy jump and landed on the seat cushion next to Sans, startling the little skeleton.

 

“Woah! I told you don’t try anything!” A bone construct appeared in Sans’s hand as he backed up as far as he could on his side of the couch. The sharp end pointed at Bendy, but the demon wasn’t even paying attention to him.

 

His pie-cut eyes were glued to the TV. On the screen was a square robot rolling around on a single wheel, playing detective in a murder mystery story. The current scene took place in a fancy club filled with well-dressed and elegant monsters. A band of musicians played a swinging tune in the background that made his heart danced like crazy.

 

Bendy had no idea what was going on in the show and honestly didn’t care. As long as the music kept playing and had him bouncing in his seat, he was happy.

 

Sans looked at the TV. He looked back at the ink devil, then at the TV again and blinked. “Huh, I didn’t think you’d be a Mettaton fan.”

 

 _‘Mettaton?’_  Wasn’t that the person those bunnies were gushing about yesterday? Is that who this robot is because he looks more like a jukebox on wheels than some prince charming.

 

“My bro is a big fan of his stuff. I don’t see what the big fuss is about though, he’s not that good of an actor,” Sans said, in a surprisingly casual tone. The bone disappeared from his hand along with the blue mist that gave off from his left eye as he relaxed a little in the demon’s presence. “I mean the only reason everyone talks about this guy is that he’s the only major TV star in the Underground. If other actors stepped up and showed their face more, I bet they’d get a rise in fame too—”

 

Bendy pressed a finger to his lips and gave a short whistle to signify Sans to shush. The skeleton was talking too much; he couldn’t hear the music.

 

On TV, detective Mett A. Tonson was entering the backstage where he’s supposed to meet a shady reptilian monster with information…or something like that. All Bendy really knew was that the piano was getting loud and suspenseful, so something was about to happen.

Just as detective Tonson creaked open a door that read ‘ _VIPs only_ ,’ a large shadow crept up behind him and…!?

 

The channel changed.

 A game show hosted by the same jukebox robot played on screen, and that sweet jazzy music, gone.

 Bendy’s smile fell into a sad frown. _‘What happen...the music...’_

 

“Relax, I’m sure the show will be on later,” Sans said when the ink devil dropped to his knees in front of the box television and was looking over the many buttons that were foreign to him. He didn’t care about the show; he just wanted to hear the music again! But how in the world does this TV work without knobs?

 

He pushed the button on the far left first, without knowing it would send the volume up to a deafening level. Cringing back, he pushed and held the second button next until all sound was gone entirely. He was hesitating whether to push the third when the TV suddenly changed channels again to some sitcom that (surprise, surprise) also starred the Mettaton guy, and sound came back to the speakers.

 

The TV changed again to rolling credits of a movie that just ended, then flipped through several more channels without stopping.

 

Bendy blinked. He stared aghast at the bright screen. How was this happening, his finger wasn’t even touching the buttons! Was the TV possessed?

 

Behind him, Sans laughed like an idiot. “Your face is hilarious right now. Why are you so surprised, it’s just the remote,”

 

 _‘Remote?’_ Bendy turned to the grinning skeleton. In his hand was a rectangular device with many odd shaped buttons. A logo with ‘COREPOWER’ written in large font printed the bottom end of the device, the same logo that was under the television screen. Bendy narrowed his eyes. ‘ _So_ , _HE’S controlling it!’_

“For a demon, you’re really weird.” Sans chuckled again. Irritated, the ink devil stomped up to the skeleton to curtly put his hand out, demanding he hand over the remote. Sans looked momentarily taken back by the action and then had a cold-eyed scare that sent a shiver down Bendy’s spine. He learned pretty quickly what the skeleton was capable of doing…

Fortunately, instead of reacting with violence, Sans stood from the couch and took a step toward Bendy with his back straight as if to show he was still bigger despite both being incredibly short. 

 

“What? You want this?” Sans shook the remote in front of him. Bendy gave a sharp nod of the head. Yes, he wanted it!...He didn’t know how it worked, but he would figure it out, somehow.

 

The skeleton tapped his chin like he was considering it. Then his left eye glowed that same electric blue when nothing good was about to happen. “Alright, you can have it. If you can grab it,”

 

The remote tinted blue in Sans’s grasp. Then held high over Bendy’s head by his strange magic, teasing him like one would tease a dog with a toy. The ink devil bent his knees and jumped as high as he could, stretching his arm out for the device, but was just short of reach.

“So close. Care to try again?”

 

Bendy grounded his teeth.

_‘I just want the music back, ya jerk!’_

He jumped again only to be teased more by Sans moving the remote higher. “Come on. You have to try harder than that, little guy,” The sardonic tone in Sans voice set his temper a blazing. He targeted the skeleton.

_‘Ugh, enough of this humiliation.’_

With his chest puffed out and fists at his side, Bendy charged shoulder-first at the skeleton, ramming into his sternum like a mad bull. The impact, however, felt like hitting a brick wall at full force. Pain exploded in his shoulder and down his arm. Even worse, he was easily knocked back, taking more damage, while Sans only staggered.

 

“Ngh!” Sans grabbed his chest as the wind and magic were knocked out of him. Without magic support, the remote hit the floor with a loud thud.

 

 _‘OW!’_ Bendy rubbed his hurt shoulder while carefully touching around the more tender areas. _‘Jeez, the bonehead is sturdy for his size.’_

 

“You!”

He jumped at the deep, growling voice of Sans. The skeleton’s eyes were dark and full of hate. Bendy gulped, nervously.

 

Oh boy, now he’s in trouble.

 

He half prepared himself to be thrown across the room again while the other half of him searched desperately for a direction to run as Sans stalked towards him. There weren’t many options, and with the power Sans had, he’d likely wouldn’t get far anyway if he tried for any of them.

With nowhere to go, he backed into the wall and even then, shrunk under the looming skeleton with hands up, and his eyes squeezed shut. His legs wobbled underneath him as he shook in fear. 

This was it, he was going to that cartoon studio it the sky! Or down below. Which ever one takes him first.

 

_‘Goodbye colorful cruel world…’_

 

“You,” Sans repeated, but his voice was…oddly softer? Bendy peeked open an eye. In a surprising twist, he saw a calm smile on the skeleton, the lights in his eyes were back, and his hands were casually in his pockets. “You got me. Heh, but I suppose I deserved that. And it looks like I got you back.” He said, with a bit of triumph in his voice at the last part, and backed off.

 

A trick, the ink devil realized, and his rapid, pounding heart start to slow. The skeleton tricked him again. He huffed out a breath of relief as he realized he wasn’t about to be rag-dolled

 

“Did I scare you? Good. Had to make sure you knew what kind of monster you’ll be staying with. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a bad guy; I can be pretty chill once you get to know me. And I do apologize for attack you but—”

Sans bit off his words and suddenly glanced out the window with an odd expression. Outside they could hear the bustling noises of friendly neighbors and children at play, sounds that breathed life into Snowdin.There was a long pause before he spoke again.

 

“I don’t expect you to understand what it’s like to be willing to do anything for the sake of protecting someone you love. Just understand that if anything bad does happen to Papyrus or anyone in the Underground for that matter, and it’s your fault…well, you know what I’ll have to do, right?”

 

Bendy nodded his head. He understood. Crystal clear. More than Sans knows.

Sans went to pick up the remote from the floor and popped the loose batteries back into place. “Good. Now that the ground rule is established, I believe I told Papyrus I would start being nice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was put on an unexpected short hiatus due to the holidays.
> 
> and I had planned on ending the chapter with a cliffhanger but thought that would be cruel because of how long this took me to finish.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ink goes to the garbage dump...
> 
> Nothing goes right.

Ink stirred awake to water droplets splashing his face. His skull was lying on a cushion; his legs stretched out on a torn musky couch. A broken pipe, protruding from a small mound of trash lined along the frame, hung over his head and had wetted his face and parts of the cushion underneath him with dirty water. The rest of him was unaffected, although his clothes felt stiff from air drying. Arcenciel, his paintbrush was pressed against his side, his left hand and arm still held its carved handle. At least he fell asleep somewhat armed.

There was an unpleasant smell in the air that invaded his nostrils at the first intake of breath, and his face scrunched up in disgust. The garbage dump, Ink realized as he looked around at the heaps of junk that accumulated over the years from the Underground and the surface world.

 

Rays of artificial sunlight streamed around the vast hills, giving everything around him a slightly blue-grey hue, and telling him it had to be at least mid-morning. 

 

Ink focused up on the stalactites hanging way high above him, watching them gleam as he recollected everything that happened yesterday, from arrival up to reaching the Temmie village. For a moment, he couldn’t remember why he was in the garbage dump. Then, a name cut through the fog of his memory.

“Bob,” Ink said aloud.

 

That’s right! Bob the temmie, the normal talker. She was helping him find Bendy. It was all coming back to him. 

 

**-Last Night-**

The garbage dump was fortunately not too far from the Temmie village. Ink stayed at least two steps behind Bob as they walked there and looked at all the glowing plants and wall embedded gems they pass by, admiring Waterfall’s beauty. He had a burning question sitting at the tip of his tongue but was unsure when the appropriate time would be to ask.

 

Bob was still a temmie, despite being different from the others, she could very well lash out at him like the others have if he said the wrong things, and Ink was not the deity that liked to stir up trouble. Trouble just happens to find him a lot.

 

When they passed a plaque inscribed with some history of the war, he couldn’t help but wonder if the three Temmies that barricaded the shop would have stretched their limps to be long noodle appendages, and stand tall, like menacing fluffy giants stomping their paws around, if he had agitated them more.

 

He almost laughed aloud imagining how weird the Temmies fight, and it would have come out sounding like a deranged monster losing his mind if he did, but that’s only because he’s far too tired to hold all his sanity at this point.

 

“You can ask me, you know? I promise I won’t bite.” Bob said, causing Ink to look down at the monster abruptly. “You want to ask a question, I can see it on your face. You want to know what happened back in the village, don’t you?”

Whatever facial expression he had now, had to be amusing for her to curl her lip up into a cunning smile.

 

“Well, yeah, I wanna know,” Ink said, as they crossed the first of two short rickety bridges. “Your buddies were about to attack me,”

 

Bob’s face twisted. She made a curt gesture with her head. “Those guys aren’t my buddies. I only hang around them because there aren’t many Temmies that will leave Waterfall and I hate staying near home.” Her voice raised as they drew near the drop of a roaring waterfall, spraying them as they walk.

“But it also gets lonely out there, you know? Because of my kind’s reputation, not a lot of monsters will talk to me. I used to eavesdrop on others just to find my way around.”

 

“So those rumors are true. You learned to speak coherently by traveling outside your village.”

 

Bob looked at him like he just said something stupid. “What? No! All Temmies can talk normal, most of us just prefer our code speech. We talk like that to keep others _away_ from of our village. As you can see, it works pretty well.”

 

“You’re kidding…” Ink was astonished but unsure if he should believe her. It seemed made up, but Bob sounded pretty serious, even a little annoyed about it, and she has no reason to lie to him. She shook her head again.

 

“Nope. Afraid not. We are actually very private monsters. Well, most of us are. I personally don’t care and prefer exploring. The others only pretend to be loud and obnoxious, so you’d think twice about coming back to our village,”

 

“That’s…pretty clever, to be honest,” Ink said. The artist wondered how many others knew this secret about the Temmies, and if Bob would get in trouble for telling him. He also wondered if the village turned hostile on anyone before he showed up, or if there was something else, something unseen, that made them feel threatened. “So, why were your frien-…your village acting weird? Did I scare them somehow?”

 

Bob turned away, as though she didn’t want her expression to be read. “Someone broke into Tem’s Shop the other day and stole the armor she had been working on for months. The village never had a break in before, so it’s been freaking everyone out.”

 

They walked by the narrow path leading down to River Person and his boat, and a sudden cool breeze from the direction sent a shiver through Ink’s body. “That’s terrible. How has Tem been taking this?”

 

“Not good,” She told him, and he could hear the concern in her tone. “She won’t come out of her shop, and she keeps muttering,”

 Bob mimicked Tem, making her voice high-pitched and disjointed like her kind’s code speech. ‘He shoill rys again! Dont let hoim take Tem! He shoill rys again!’ when anyone approaches her, “

 

“What does that mean?”

 

“’He shall rise again.’ It was the message the intruder left in her shop. It was written on the wall with black ink when we found her hunched in a corner scared out of her mind,”

 

Ink stopped walking. “Black ink?” As in the same black ink drawn on Sans’s station? And dripped from the walls in Bendy’s world? The black ink that nearly suffocated him in that horrible room, stained his bones, ruined his clothes, left a terrible taste in his mouth and continues to tease him with trails leading to the demon?

 

Ink slid his fingers around the rolled picture in his pocket. “Are you absolutely sure it was ink?” He asked Bob, his nerves rising in his voice.

 

The temmie looked at him, confused, but answered. “I’m pretty sure. It didn’t look like paint or have the thickness of paste. Why does it matter?”

 

“It just matters,” Ink said, promptly, and said nothing further as Bob continued to look at him strangely. Instead, he pulled the picture of Bendy from his pocket and turned it around to add another note to a list he had written on the back.

 

**-Day: 1, Time: night. Location: Waterfall. An ink message was found in Temmie Village. Shop Tem sure know more information about exact time and day. Bendy could still be near.**

 

“Now, it’s my turn to ask you something,” Bob’s beady eyes drifting to the picture. “Who is that funny looking guy and why are you looking for him?”

 

“It’s a complicated story.” Ink sighed wearily. A complicated and exhausting story…

 

“I’m sure I can follow along,” She insisted. “Just tell me.”

 

“It’s best if I didn’t…you wouldn’t understand.”

 

Bob frowned. “I know my kind has a bad reputation, but we’re not stupid.”

 

Ink smiled sadly at her, feeling the guilt on his back. “I don’t think you’re stupid, Bob, that’s not it,”

 

“Then why can’t you tell me?” The temmie suddenly raised her voice high, almost squeaking like the others. “I’m out here helping you, a stranger, find someone who’s also a stranger. I think I should get some explanation here.”

 

“I know, and I really appreciate your help, Bob, I really do, but I can’t—” Ink never got to finished because Bob interrupted him with a shriek.

 

“Don’t give me excuses; everyone always gives me excuses not to talk to me or tell me things!”  

 

“Please calm down,” said Ink, with a tone that wasn’t so calm. He thought about the funny way Temmies fought again, only this time he imagined Bob trampling him into dust.

 

“You grabbed his picture after I told you about the message on the wall…just answer me this, does this guy have anything to do with what happened at Tem’s shop?”

 

Ink didn’t know how to respond.

 _‘Just tell her!’ ‘Don’t tell her!’_ His thoughts argued, both sides tugging at him to say something. Anything.

His mouth opened and closed like a dying fish out of water, but no words would come out, only soundless air. His silence enraged her. “I think I have a right to know if there was a bad guy in Waterfall! Do I need to warn my village of him? Better yet, the guards?”

 

“No,” Ink blurted out. “Don’t,”

Getting the guards involved was a very very bad idea, that could end horribly for either the guards, Bendy or even him. Ink didn’t want anyone getting hurt, not even the little ink devil after what he’s done. Its best he and Sans deal with catching him themselves, they both knew how to deal with demons.

 

But as Bob stared at him, suspicion glinting her eyes, he couldn’t think of a single thing to say that would have her believe that. “I mean…not yet. I can’t tell you much right now, Bob, but I promise I will explain everything after I do catch him and send him where he needs to go. Can we please just keep going, it's late, and I want to get to the dump before the bad guys do start showing up demanding our gold.”

 

She looked at him unsatisfied with that answer, but she seemed to understand that he was right. Time was passing, and it would be best they reached the garbage dump sooner than later in the night. She kept to her promise, and they continued moving. “I told you what you wanted to know, and it was something personal. It be fair if you answered my one question.” She muttered, unhappily.

 

 Ink sighed again. “I know. Just trust me for now.”

 

They walked in silence. Bob kept her eyes ahead while Ink felt all sorts of guilt eating at him.

 _‘You already involved her this much. Telling her what you know could put her in more danger,’_ He told himself, but then again, was keeping her in the dark really the right thing to do?

Bob wasn’t wrong; she does have the right to know if there was a threat roaming Waterfall, especially after what happen at Tem’s shop. He just didn’t like the idea of dragging more monsters into a problem he started, pushing them closer to a potentially highly dangerous being he unleashed into their world.

 

He kept envisioning a monster, though scared, approach the ink devil with little questions like ‘Who are you?’ and ‘What are you doing here?’ sensing they are in great danger while also feeling foolishly brave.

 

Bob, no doubt would be that monster to face said danger alone. She’s tough. Tough enough to trust a stranger with her life, tough enough to travel at night, and tough enough to defy her village’s rules. Ink would bet she would be the type to face Bendy if she really wanted answers. Perhaps if he told her everything, he could talk her out of doing anything crazy. Or perhaps his words would be hollow…

 

If only he knew all the right answers.

 

Ink mulled his thoughts over as they walked, and it was another five minutes of dragged silence before the sour stench of garbage finally hit them.

“Over here,” Bob turned left at the next cross-section, and Ink followed her down a wide path trailed with puddles of water. As they kept going, the mountain-high heaps of garbage gradually came into their view and loomed in front of them from several feet away, water surrounding them from every side. Bob stopped just before touching the filthy pool that flooded the entire dump and looked up at Ink.

 

“This is it. I saw him over there somewhere.” She said and pointed to the direction with her paw.

 

Ink looked where she was pointing. The chances of actually finding Bendy here, at this point, was zero. He knew that before they began the walk here, but maybe, just maybe with his luck turned around, he could find a clue to the demon’s next location.

 

Ink stepped into the water. It reached up to his knees and felt cold and slimy and sent shivers of disgust through him. “Gross,”

 

He took another step forward, and Bob quickly latched onto to him, like a scared cat avoids getting wet. With claws dug deep into his jacket, she climbed up his back, almost throwing him off balance with her weight, and held onto his right shoulder, so their faces were almost cheek to cheek. “Ouch!” Ink hissed when a claw nicked his shoulder blade.

“Sorry! I already went diving into this gunk earlier, and I don’t want to do it again. It’s hard to get out of your fur.”

 

“What was he doing here when you saw him?”

 

Bob shrugged. “Sleeping, I think, if one can sleep with their eyes open. I saw him lying on the cardboards over there. He didn’t seem to notice me while I was trudging through the sludge.”

 

Ink headed for the mountain she was referring to, one with a stack of flat cardboard boxes sandwiched between a broken tv and a bent trash can. He could bet if he tried pulling them out, it would send the whole thing crashing down on them like a losing game of Jenga and forever bury them deep under all the sludge and years old trash. The thought made him visibly shudder.

There were several more boxes –most of them flattened—wedged against the garbage or lying limp, soaking in water.

 

His eyes scanned for any specks or signs made of black ink that would tell him the little devil was here, but it was hard to tell anything with only a few wall gems lighting the area and no flashlight to help. Carefully, he reached out to grab one of the cardboard that looked loose and undamaged and squinted at it.

 

“See any clues to your funny looking friend?” Bob whispered beside him. Ink shook his head.

 

“It’s hard to tell in this light.” He put the cardboard aside and trudged through the water to look around the unbelievable heap of trash. It what little light they had, he could make out lumps of trash bags, spoiled food cans, broken equipment, tossed out toys and lots of broken glass, all bunched up together with wet sludge, just by looking at the shapes of their shadows. However, he couldn’t see any close details. If Bendy did leave another drawing or message, he was missing it. “You positive he was in this section?”

 

Bob made a noise that sounded offended. “He doesn’t exactly have that face you would forget. I’m positive I saw him hanging around here. He looked weird though, like something wasn’t right.”

 

“Huh? What do you mean?”

 

She opened her mouth to say more, but a loud splash silenced her.

 

 “What was that?” Ink whirled around. His eyes darted in every direction. Something was drawing near, sloshing in the water as it moved fast. Ink took several big steps backward to the nearest glow of wall gems. “Hello? Who’s there?” He asked the darkness, unsure of where the sound was coming from.

 

Whoever was there stopped their movement after he called out, and somewhere close, a steady drip-dripping of water echoed. On instinct, Ink unsheathed Arcenciel with his left hand and posed the paint brush out at the darkness.

 

“We know you’re there. Come out and reveal yourself!” He demanded and didn’t think until after the words had already left his mouth that that might not have been the smart thing to say to the unknown.

 

Bob quivered on his shoulder. She whispered to him as quietly as her shaky voice would allow. “Stop it. It might be the funny face guy.” All the more reason to arm himself. It couldn’t be, Bendy, though. He wouldn’t still be here, would he?

 

“If it is him then stay close to me,” Ink whispered back. Then his grip tightens on the paintbrush as he heard someone chuckle in the dark, in that honey-sweet way that sounds innocent but had malicious intent behind it. It left an eerie echo through the dump.

Bob stiffened as her claws dug deeper into Ink’s jacket, scraping again against his shoulder blade. Ink bit back a cry and held himself together. His stance was steady, his weapon out in front. _‘Protect the Temmie,’_ became his new priority, and by the seven colors, he was going to do everything to make sure she stays safe.

 

“I won’t ask you again. Come out, now!” The artist demanded once more.

 

A loud _snap_ of what sounded like a kindled fire blazing to life came from their left. Followed by spine-shrilling noises of metal scraping on metal and trash shifting. Ink snapped his head up and saw shadows, rolling, down from very tip top of the garbage heap they were looking at just a moment ago.

 

Something heavy struck the water at his right, then another at his left, and another and another…

Ink turned his paintbrush in every direction he heard splashes, panicking as his mind went blank.

 

“The garbage,” Bob shrieked. “It’s collapsing! RUN!” It was the absolute terror in her voice that got him moving.

He ran, adrenaline taking over as he aimed to get out of the collapse zone. Trash rained down around them. Bags tumbled like boulders, sharp ends and broken glass speared the water. A rusty car rolled down the heap and crashed in front of them. Ink didn’t stop, he slid across the hood and kept going.

 

They were almost to safety when something hard landed the left side of his back and forced him to buckle under weak legs. Ink cried out as he fell forward into the cold sludge and water, submerging him above his waist.

“Get up!” Bob yelled beside him. Her claws were still latched onto the fabric of his jacket for dear life. “You have to keep moving!”

 

Ink pushed from the ground, but the adrenaline rush was no longer there. He limped the rest of the way, swept along by sheer determination to make it and the promise to keep Bob safe. He kept expecting to be knocked out by another falling object, to be suddenly engulfed by so much trash that he couldn’t breathe or move.

It wasn’t until he knew they had reached a safe distance on the other side of the dump did he turn around to look back.

 

That was when he saw them.

A figure, dressed in a black silk cloak, running along the wall toward the exit. They were passing a bundle of wall gems when Ink caught a glimpse of them in their glow. A cowl was covering their face and they were tall, taller than him. Taller than Bendy.

 

 _‘Stop!’_  Ink wanted to say, but he was shaking so much, and he was so exhausted, he couldn’t muster enough energy to yell. It was too late anyway. They were already gone.

 

The whole mountain gave one last creaky moan before collapsing away into a flat surface. The other heaps threatened to do the same as the whole dump rumbled under their feet. Thankfully they held together.

 

“Are you ok?” Ink asked the temmie once everything had calmed.

 

“Am I OK?!” Bob shouted. “Are you ok? You took a hit!”

 

“I’ll be fine. I’ve taken worse hits than this,” Ink told her, even though her weight was making the pain on his back hurt five times worse. “I just…need to sit for a moment.”

 

“I think we both do. There’s a couch to your left, in that small pile. Go sit down.” Ink trudged over to where Bob pointed. His sore legs wobbled as he walked. His back ached, horribly, and his whole body drooped.

He was so tired, mentally and physically, that he could feel the last bit of his energy drain away with each step, and the threat of collapsing any minute. And honestly, he looked forward to it happening.

 

Bob leaped from his shoulder to land on one end of the couch while Ink took the other end. He didn’t care that the couch was spotted with mold or had stuffing torn from its cushions. It felt nice to sit on, and even more comfortable when he laid down.

 

“What the hell just happen?” Bob asked him, her voice sounding oddly far away.

 

“I think…I think someone tried to kill us…”

 

“K-kill us?” The temmie squeaked. “But who?”

 

“I don’t know,”

 _‘It’s not Bendy.’_ That’s all he knew. Someone tried to kill them, and it wasn’t the demon. “But I will…find out who…”

 

“Hey, hey! What are you doing, don’t fall asleep yet,”

 

“I won’t. I just need a moment…” Ink mumbled, as his eyes started to slowly close and his last thoughts drifted away. “Just…a moment…..”

 

**-Present-**

 

“Bob!” Ink scrambled to sit up, then groan as every sore bone screamed at him to not move. Frantically, his eyes searched the dump. Where was the temmie? Was she alright? Was she still here? He couldn’t see her anywhere.

 _‘You idiot!’_ The artist smacked the palm of his hand against his forehead. ‘ _how could you fall asleep like that!’_

 

He had to be the worse deity ever, worse than Error. For not only unleashing a demon but for also endangering a monster, then falling asleep in the worse possible place at the worse possible time!

 

Error would have at least found Bendy at this point with his hacking skills. Then probably erase the demon, which is not the ideal plan and Ink was certainly not going to let that happen, but the problem would be solved already if he knew what was going on.

 

He, on the other hand, was only finding more trouble, and possibly a mystery.

 

Who tried to kill them last night, and why?

 

Ink was determined to find out. And he was going to find Bendy as well before his glitchy rival hears anything. But first, he had to find Bob.

**Author's Note:**

> Hate me all you want for this weird crossover, I think it's a cute idea XD
> 
> Spontaneous updates until further notice
> 
> Kudos and comments do help ^-^


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